Knights of White and Black
by Aetherveil
Summary: A Hero who was abandoned by the higher powers that be, whom he swore an oath to in order to be able protect all. Even so, he has not been entirely forsaken. With different outcomes and new beginnings, our young Hero, along with both current and new allies, will walk tall with the new lives they have made for themselves as Darkness encroaches upon the world of Remnant.
1. Chapter 1

**Heya everyone! Bet you didn't see this coming from a mile away, huh? Thankfully in huge part to Xera Stark, it's happening. A new story. With newer beginnings, and different outcomes compared to the original Hero of Remnant. You didn't expect the same exact things did you? Of course not! We're changing it up a bit! Okay, a bit is underselling it. A lot would be more accurate.**

 **While a huge amount of this story will differ from the original Hero of Remnant Series, it will also retain some of its concepts and ideas. And possible story elements. And who knows? Maybe even a blend of the two. But definitely something new.**

 **And to clear it up before we start, yes, we mainly follow the perspective of my OC Dante from the Hero of Remnant series along with Veil of the Aether. And no, he is not Dante from any of the Devil May Cry series you may or may not have heard of. The only similarity is in name, that's it. If you came here expecting that after seeing the name "Dante", well, sorry to disappoint you, but that will not be the case. Not now or ever.**

 **I'm writing it in conjunction to Xera Stark's Rogue ****Huntsmen** **. Maybe you've heard of me talking a lot about it in Veil of the Aether, sequel to the original Hero of Remnant, maybe not. In any case, it's a really awesome RWBY fanfic, and if I have to say, it is highly entertaining at every interval. Not a single moment is a bore and will definitely keep your attention through and through. So go check it out. See what I'm talking about with your own eyes. After all, his main OC and his team will be seen in my story as mine have already been seen in his. Only now, it'll be from my characters perspective (possibly perspectives as time goes on, who knows, it might be sooner than you think) of those happenings and events.**

 **So, after a long and eager wait, I've finally come down to it. And it'll be just as fun as writing Veil of the Aether. Don't worry everyone, chapters of this story will be shorter than my other ones, at least 5-8K per chapter in this story. Shorter? Yes. Detracts from overall quality? Not likely.**

 **In short, I hope you all enjoy this fresh, new perspective I will be giving you all. I know I will.**

* * *

 **Of Tails and Swords**

«»

 _I know full well that what I ask of you and your family is a...selfish, selfish request. But as the way things are...I have no one else to turn to but you and your kin. To you, however, I personally make this request. Though wayward and...stubborn as my son may be...I ask that you guide him whenever he is lost along the way. But most importantly...I merely ask that you remain at his side. He has lost much... But you were the only one who was able to restore what little spirit he had left._

 _With my recent departure...I have placed a great, and terrible burden upon him and his siblings. One that will only realize itself before him later on the future. They cannot fight what is to come on their own. Only you and the many others you will meet along the way will be able to face this burden, and secure the peaceful future we have all worked endlessly to achieve. No matter how difficult it may be, or how difficult my son may be, please, always stand by him, and never abandon his side, even if he should stray far from you. This is all that this old man would ask of you. So long as you remember all that I say...even your wish for the future will come true soon enough._

 _May both of you find happiness together._

* * *

 _"Why are you always alone? Don't you ever talk to anyone else?" asked the younger girl._

 _"Not really..." Replied the boy nonchalantly, "I don't talk to them, they don't talk me. Besides, it saves me the trouble of a headache."_

 _"Headache..?"_

 _"If you haven't noticed, the majority of them, if not all of them, are morons. And I don't waste time with morons."_

 _"That's not really nice!" She said a bit irritated with the boy._

 _He stopped sweeping the floor, glaring at her a moment before returning to his task._

 _"Neither are they… So I have no reason to be nice back to them. But I really don't do much to return the favor. Sometimes at least."_

 _"But won't that make them more afraid of you?"_

 _He fell silent for a few seconds before he replied._

 _"They should be. The things that people like you and I can do… Me in particular? They'd shiver endlessly if ever they knew the truth about me. You on the other hand? Hmph… They'd think you're cute moreso than scary."_

 _"C-C-C-Cute?!" She asked, her voice like a tiny squeak as her white fox ears perked up and her white fox tail whipped back and forth rapidly._

 _The boy simply rolled his eyes at the display and continued sweeping._

 _"W-Well…" she began as she pressed her fingertips together constantly, "W-What do you think..?"_

 _"I don't know what to think to be honest with you… You're really the only other person who's asking what I think besides the sisters."_

 _The young girl's white fox ears folded against her head before they perked up immediately after._

 _"W-Well I want to know what you really think about me."_

 _"You're nice to everyone, even me, so that's good. I guess. Ugh… Truthfully, you have a lot of good qualities, so I'm not going to bother going through them all. The only annoying thing about you is that you constantly bug me all hours of the day. Honestly… Don't you have other people to talk to?"_

 _"Nope. I don't like everyone else all too much since they're mean to you a lot. But that's our secret, so shhh!"_

 _He stopped sweeping a moment and stared straight at her. She was still waiting for his other response. And he knew she was waiting. Despite what he said earlier, he did actually enjoy her company whenever she approached him. It...made the long days a lot less lonely._

 _She at least deserved the response she wanted. Not only because it was what she wanted to hear, but rather because she did most definitely have her cute moments ever since she arrived here weeks ago._

 _"I'll never be afraid of you, you know…"_

 _Yet again their gazes met, only for once...the boy seemed surprised._

 _"Sure you don't talk all too much except with me... And sure you can be a real grumpy-butt sometimes… But you're really nice deep down, even if you don't like showing it. So you're not scary and not mean! Just misunderstood by everyone else because they're just really rude and can't see what I see. So smile more! If no one else is going to be on your side, I always will!" She said proudly as she placed her hands on her hips._

 _He swore he felt his heart throb a bit. It was...an unexpected response. Even so, he had to ask. Just to be sure. There was still some doubt in him about her. Just a smidge though. Her response to his question would determine the rest._

 _"Do you mean that?"_

 _"Hmm?"_

 _"Do you mean what you said? Throughout this whole conversation I mean…"_

 _"Of course silly." She said hugging him from behind, emphasizing her reply by wrapping her fox tail around his waist as she hugged him. "I'll follow you around everywhere. No matter what."_

 _He didn't understand what he was feeling currently as she kept her hold of him. No...he knew full well what it was. He just never felt it before now._

 _Happiness._

* * *

 **(10 years later…)**

The estate was nestled deep within the mountain near the top, a decently large village resting against the foundations below. There were not too many walls surrounding the village below, for the invisible barrier that covered the entire mountain and village was more than enough to keep out the Grimm.

The village itself had a touch of modern designs to it, but the main deigns of the village took on an ancient feudal-Japan look, along with numerous cherry blossom trees surrounding the village with quite a few of them located in different areas of the village. Shops, markets, houses; everything that would make a classic imperial style Japanese village could be found directly ahead.

The estate nestled within the mountains took on the same design and appearance of the original from the Apparition World. It was a massive palace-estate of the same ancient, feudal theme that spanned hundreds of acres throughout the mountain range, almost as large as the entirety of the village. Beautiful gardens and ponds could be seen in separate sections throughout the estate, along with numerous structures along the palace-estate, both large and small, that were likely storerooms, guest rooms and any type of room that was required for their needs.

On the outside of the estate was a beautiful black and white marble stairway that lead up from the village towards the palace. Towards the left side of the village below was lush, green farmland. And further left, they could see a pathway leading to what seemed to be a shrine. Towards the right of the village was a crystal clear lake with a few houses and stores located in the area.

Near the back of the estate was a wide-open, rectangular area that was surrounded with cherry blossom trees; the mesmerizing, pink cherry blossom petals littered the air in small amounts. Until they were forcibly moved aside by the swinging of swords.

* * *

Blades clashed against one another in repeated movements, each swing from their owners unrelenting and as blinding as lightning as sparks took their place alongside the cherry blossom petals. Each strike from both warriors was precise and calculated, meant as both a means to advance offensively whilst defending them from on another's attacks. It was apparent they were of equal ability and skill, seeing as none had managed to land an actual hit on the other for minutes now.

The pace of both katana and Longsword had slowed a bit, the warriors focusing a bit more on heavy handed hits in a attempt to hopefully overpower one or the other, it was only a matter of who would do so first. Their strategy soon changed when their blades clashed against one another, the two trying to overpower the other as sparks flew around them.

"Getting tired?" Asked the young man in a strained voice.

"Are you?" Asked the girl equally strained.

"Could use a break soon…"

The young man broke the clash and took two diagonal slashes at the girl, who blocked the slashes before ducking under a side swipe. This allowed her to flip backwards and attempt a kick, but the young man ducked backwards and avoided having her foot from hitting the underside of his chin.

After dodging, he lashed out at the young girl, who dodged that attack and reared back her arm, blade pointed directly at the young man. With blinding speed, she unleash a furious storm of stabs at her opponent, who seemingly struggled dodging her rapid series of stabs despite how quickly he dodged them.

When the opportunity presented itself, he parried one of her attacks, forcing her blade to bounce back when he blocked while thrusting his shoulder into the flat side of his blade, spinning around shortly after for a follow through attack. Deciding to take the attack head on, the girl blocked with her katana and was sent flying backwards.

She flipped in the air twice to recover and landed to a skidding halt, looking up in time to see the young man directly above her and ready to swing down. When she dodged to the side, she quickly blocked a side swipe and kicked the blade out of his hands, disarming the young man. Even so, he used the palm of his hand to smack the flat side of the blade hard enough to force it out of the girl's hands.

Their blades landed behind each other's backs, blade points stuck into the ground. They leapt away from each other a small distance, and lowered into stances, each one raising up their hands to prepare for battle yet again.

They lunged at one another with great speed, unleashing blow after blow as they either dodged or blocked one another's punches and kicks, but not without some difficulty. Both of them knew each other's strengths and weaknesses down to the finest point. It was hard to land a hit against the other since both were in sync with the other. Each one knew what they were thinking. And each were able to follow the others movements exactly in order to counter effectively.

Their continuous standstill eventually came to an end when the young girl delievered a double punch that forced the young man to stagger back. He meant to leap into the air and avoid her, but she had already beat him to it, moving in the air above him and delivering a strong axe-heel kick that smacked down into his arms that he raised to block. The young man immediately crashed into the floor withenough force to not crack the ground, but unleash a shockwave that forced up the young girl's sword into the sky.

The young man moved out of the way of her dive kick and swept her leg from underneath her, making to pin her to the floor and claim victory. However, it was quite the opposite. She managed a reversal midway, and managed to pin him to floor, the girl sitting atop him as she extended her hand and caught her blade from the air, keeping it hovered inches away from the young man's throat.

* * *

She always manages to catch me off guard near the end whenever we spar… How does she keep doing that? What's her secret? This wasn't so much a match of strength but of skill mainly. And in terms of skill, we're equal in that department… Huh… I guess I wasn't kidding when I keep telling people Inuba is way stronger than I am… Then again…it's only been three months since we've gotten here…

"It would seem as though I win this time...Master…" she finished leaning in closer to me.

She wasn't wrong. She did win. Fair and square. I seriously wish she'd drop the whole "Master" thing and use my actual name, rather than use it only when in public. People would get the wrong idea if they heard such a cute, innocent girl call someone Master just out of the blue. Plenty of people's thoughts would stray where they shouldn't. Plenty. And neither of us need that in our lives. Anyway, to solve one issue before we get to the other.

"U-Um… Inuba?"

"Hm? Yes?"

"Uh, not that you're heavy or anything, in fact you're very light, but...this is kinda an awkward position, so...could you..?"

She looked down for a few moments, realizing she was still on top of me before her face went completely red and she immediately, stood back up, muttering...words? They were incoherent, so I couldn't tell if she was making words or just speaking gibberish at this point.

"I-I'm so sorry!" She said bowing me to me numerous times.

"No worries. All good."

I picked myself up and dusted off my grey jeans before patting down my black long-sleeved shirt, tapping the sides of my black shoes with white soles against a tree nearby by to clean them up a bit too.

Inuba… Well…she basically wore what she did every. Only she wore less at the moment. All she wore currently was a sleeveless, black shirt made of some sort of nylon-spandex material that was skin tight and very form fitting. It did help keep her...more than ample chest area from bouncing too much in battles. Inuba also wore skin tight black sleeves that reached to her elbows, the sleeves made of the same nylon-spandex material her undershirt was made of. She didn't wear a skirt this time, but instead wore black short-shorts of the same exact material, black socks, and finally, white shoes with black soles.

My eyes again trailed towards Inuba's direction for a few moments when she turned to grab the Longsword I was using before she disarmed me of it in our sparring match. A few words came to mind every now and then when I glanced at her. Okay...more than a few words.

Alluring. Endearing. Stunning. Captivating. She was all these and more. Silky smooth, near-shoulder length white hair that shimmered slightly. Beautiful eyes, framed by long lashes, that were a crimson red that seemingly brightened the world. Soft, elegant lips. Smooth, porcelain-like skin. A beautifully slender figure. Curvy in all the right places. Ample breasts that were perky with a natural bounce, but still firm. It was like she represented the picture of perfection. And finally, let's not forget her white fox ears and white fox tail only seemed to add more to her already alluring form.

It is what defined her as a Kitsune. But not any ordinary Kitsune. Inuba and her family were direct descendents of the Fox Goddess Inari, and the Demon Fox Goddess Dakini. The two of them were the only gods I ever really considered or had a deep respect for. They were the only gods who were always on my side really. And that was something I appreciated greatly. And the two were very powerful gods, especially after I helped them rise to power to fix a system of injustice that had stood in place for far too long.

Being direct descendents, Inuba and her family are arguably the most powerful Kitsune of all the clans and family, even the most powerful clan of all the Yōkai that existed, surpassing even the might of the Dragon Yōkai clan. Inuba and her family were well respected throughout the Apparition World, both for their strength, their skill, their intelligence, their manners. Royalty in a sense. Not the stuck and pompous kind. No. As well respected as they are, they showed the same sort of love and respect in return, never assuming themselves to be higher or above the rest. Humble. It's something I liked about their family and their clan overall.

Her older brother Akihito wasn't like them in that sense, at least, not at first. He was always a bit of a hothead, especially when he was younger. Nasty temper that one had… But overtime he changed. He learned being hotheaded wasn't always the way to go about it. Now, he's virtually completely calm; unmovable, unshakable. Even so...there were times he displayed his previous hotheaded nature in battle, despite how subtle it was.

If anything, I'd say they made the right choice making Akihito the family head after his father disappeared many years ago. Asahi, Inuba's older sister, was most certainly a crowd favorite. In fact, she was the one who was first approached about leading Kitsukami Clan and ruling over the Apparition World. Even so, she respectfully declined the position and sent them Akihito's way. Her excuse was simple, saying she wasn't nearly as fit or as responsible for taking up such a task. Akihito was. As true as this may seem, I can't help but wonder at times whether or not Asahi cleverly wormed her way out of it and pushed it on Akihito.

So where did that leave Inuba and myself? First Lord and Lady, along with Asahi, just under Head of the House, where Akihito was. We held a high position of power. And a plentiful amount of responsibilities that Asahi pushed on us most of the time. I say "used to" because we're no longer on Primordial, where the Apparition World, that held Yōkai of all varieties, was a part of.

Many things happened over these years. Many grueling and vicious battles. Much bloodshed. Many tragedies…

Many hard fought and won battles. Millions, if not billions of lives saved. Many moments where hope had been restored…

Along with Inuba and her family, and my previous friends and allies, we saved Primordial, and The Worlds, a hundred times over. We weren't the only ones out there in the vast space of Creation. There were nearly an infinite amount of Worlds, each separated from one another and containing their own vastness of Space. Primordial was the First World, and as such, played host to numerous dimensions that were separated until Gateways connected them. A main example would be the Apparition World. Inuba's home. And throughout the numerous and arduous journeys I've undertaken over the years, my home too, just as much as Primordial was.

Where we were now was a different home that took a while to settle in. Three months to be exact. It turns out that saving the Worlds and saving their Peoples was an entirely separate matter from what I initially understood.

My responsibility...as well as the responsibility my friends held, was to protect the Worlds. And to us, that meant protecting the people as well. After the biggest crisis we ever faced threatened to destroy everything we knew and a loved, after destroying much of what we cherished already, I defeated this Rogue Angel from The Plane of Angels. But at a terrible cost.

He had already destroyed much around us. Took away innocent lives that did not deserve the fates that were given to them throughout that week were at war with one another. And that was when I made my decision.

I would undo everything wrong and evil that had been committed within that span of a week. I would undo the death he had caused.

After I had slain him and undid all the wrong he had committed, I was brought on trial by The Plane. Long had I upset the balance and structure of their "holier than thou" rules and ideals. When did doing the right thing become such a wrong and hated idea?

They tried thinking of executing me, but by then they knew I was immortal to any and all means they could think of. So instead, they exiled me. Tried to throw me in the deepest reaches of Creation where not even the faintest scope of light could reach me. Condemned to forever wander aimlessly in Darkness. But as you know...this didn't happen. Before I gave one final push to take down the Rogue Angel, I managed to prevent at least one death from happening…

Inuba's.

She thought I was in danger after I was pushed down and made to move me out of the way and...take the hit. Luckily, she escaped with minor injuries and was unconscious for the duration of the altercation, so she was safe and sound for the time I took care of the Rogue Angel. After my sentencing was concluded, and she woke up, she and a great many others protested my exile, but to no avail. So when the time came for me to be sent away, I did indeed leave. But not as most would expect. I was taken from Primordial by Inuba and ended up here.

Remnant. Our new home. Through intense usage of magic, Kareina, Inuba's mother, recreated the Kitsukami estate deep within the range of this mountain above the village below us. We are slightly secluded from the village, but people do come up to be healed by Inuba and Kareina's Cleansing Flame's, healing magic of the absolute best that there is available. No other form of healing magic can compete with theirs. With their help, even after losing my old powers, I gained new ones while living with them in the estate.

Now that I think about it…Inuba almost always seems to forget that I'm immortal, that I can't die despite how many times an enemy hits me or what they throw at me. And yet...she stills risks life and limb for me, even if it's unnecessary… Honestly…she can be so foolish at times… I couldn't help but smile a bit as she approached me with my sword in hand.

"I believe this is yours." She said handing me the practice sword.

Despite how durable these weapons were, Inuba and I managed to chip another set along the sharp sides of our weapons. It may just be sparring, but we still like to at least but some effort behind our blows. You do get better through training. Even if your opponent is as equally skilled as you are.

"Thanks…" I said as I grabbed my blade, rubbing the back of my neck, "Couldn't you have eased up a bit on the slam? That kinda hurt…"

It really did hurt. Which was strange. No one in my entire life has caused me to feel true physical pain. Only she has, and that was whenever we sparred… Why is that exactly? Is it due to our souls being linked to one another? Or some other reason entirely..? I wasn't sure. I didn't think about it all too much. There were too few variables to look at it as is.

"Wha-?! Oh, I'm sorry!" She said panickedly as she checked my back, making sure I was completely alright.

"Don't worry. It's all good. Just take it a bit easy next time is all I'm saying."

"I...I understand. Are you sure you're-?"

"I'm good. Don't worry so much. It'll take a lot more than that to take me down."

"Of… Of course." She said smiling at me warmly.

"So… What's the news on the Grimm? Has the barrier been keeping them out effectively?" I asked.

"It has. My mother set up the barrier in such a way that it distengrates lesser classes such as Beowolves and Ursii, even those at the Alpha level. Not only that, but it has become self-sustaining, drawing power from the sun constantly in order to store energy. That way if the barrier is damaged, the stored energy will be more than enough to repair it immediately. As for the amount of Grimm, less and less are crossing into our lands with each day, so st this point, we have nothing to worry about from the Grimm."

"Even so… We trade one plague of enemies for another…" I said with a sigh, "Nothing we can do about it. For now anyway. Well, except eliminating them whenever we come across them that is."

"I suppose so… Out of one mess and into another apparently…"

"Guess so… At least we can live a bit more comfortably than we used to. Not having to worry about all the nonsense of the other Worlds at least."

"Yes… We have that at least… Even so, you can never return home now… Doesn't that upset you?"

"A little bit. But we have to make due with what we have. And this is all we have for now. I don't mind this being my new home. It's...nice. We can finally take things at our own pace for once. So that's what we'll do."

"If that is your wish, then I'll abide by it. Oh… Shall I draw the bath for you first, Master?"

"Hmmmm… No thanks. You can go first. I'll do it myself later."

"A-Are you sure? Perhaps I can maybe-"

She stopped suddenly and blushed furiously before slapping her hands on her face, muttering silently to herself.

"I-I'll be going f-first then…" she said walking off rather...sadly?

Why did she just get sad a bit all of a sudden? Honestly...she's a bit strange at times…

"Yo, big brother! What up?"

Of course, I almost forgot these two.

"Ciel, Leo. You just got back?"

"Indeed. We've completed today's inquiry of groceries. We even managed to buy these." Said Leo as he pulled out a box from one of the many bags he carried.

I nearly drooled when I saw the box. Graham crackers. And...good lord! One bag just filled with them?! Honestly, best little sister and brother ever! I grabbed one of the boxes and immediately began to dig in.

Ciel and Leonard. My younger brother and sister. A month after coming to Remnant, I found out that they had been living here for most of their lives. At the time, I only had the faintest Aura Signature, so it was very difficult for them to track me down. It turns out Aura is the truest form of power, or at least the truest form of my power. So what was my old power then? Doesn't matter for now. I have my box of Graham Crackers to attend to.

Ciel was well balanced between petite body and a forbidden beauty in her slender frame, and for someone of the age, well-developed and well-endowed. Which means all sorts of creeps would be after her… Luckily, I don't have to worry about her at all. She's a monster in terms of strength and could crush any man that's trying to be touchy feely and or creepy. Or rather, she could kill a man with her thumb. Or pinky. Either or. In short, she can take care of herself.

Her attire consisted of a white sleeveless blouse, a black dress vest with two knee-reaching tails that fit her body snugly, leading down into a black pleated skirt. The vest's trim and interior were white as well. The piece of attire didn't reach past her mid-thighs. Beneath all of that, she wore black knee high boots with white zippers on the outer side of the boots. Her shoulder length hair was tied up into a ponytail.

Leo's attire wore a white long-sleeved dress shirt, covered by a black, thin fabric jacket with white trim and an upturned collar and a hood he didn't currently have on. Finally he wore simple gray jeans and gray shoes. His hair was like mine, chin length, but a lot more messier, whereas my hair was brushed down and slightly parted to the left side of my face, a few stands just holier got over my left eye.

Their most apparent features was their pure white hair, like me, and bright sky blue eyes, also like me. It's also what helped tell they really were my relatives. That, and the rings each of the three of us wore on our left index fingers.

They were fairly simple things really. The rectangular stone set in the metal band was obsidian black with numerous diamond shaped patterns cut into the stone. In the center of the stone was a small white metal shield crest with a black background that had the letter "A" in white colored metal etched into the black background of the shield crest. The rectangular metal surrounding the ring stone, as well as the metal band, was colored pure black with intricate white colored etchings carved deep into the band.

For the most part, Ciel and Leo's rings were the same, only the rectangular metal surrounding their rings stones, as well as the metal bands, were colored pure white with intricate black colored etchings carved deep into the white metal.

They told me their rings looked as such because they had their balance between Light and Dark Powers, whereas I only mainly used dark powers. Previously at least. They told me in fact that my new powers, the unlocking of my Aura, was a representation of not only my true power, but also my Light Powers to a degree. If that's the case, the ring should have changed colors. He couldn't exactly figure out why it happened, but Leo determined that ring had long since lost its power. Even so...every now and then, when I stared at my ring, I can't help but feel it empower me in some way at times. Even now as I stared at it while eating.

"So, how'd sparring go with Foxy?"

"Well, it was pretty even all the way until the end."

"So she kicked your butt at the end is what you're saying."

"Pretty much."

"Come now Ciel, it's nothing special." Said Leo giving his input on the matter.

"Dude, I bet he just let her win in the end."

"Not really…" I told them.

Ciel seemed more surprised of this fact than Leo was. I may not be as strong as I used to be, but I'm plenty strong as I am now. Compared to Inuba...well…

I never lie unless I'm asked to and if it's for a good reason in the end. Luckily I don't lie almost ever. And trust me when I say that I'm not lying when I say Inuba is stronger than I am.

"What can I say… She's just that strong…" I told them.

"You're joking right? Tell me he's joking."

"Apparently not. We may have seen records of their previous fights and the training session and sparring matches she has with brother, but we've never personally seen Miss Kitsukami fight in an actual battle before. It would be most unwise to underestimate her capabilities."

"True enough. But it's hard to imagine big brother losing to anyone. Much less her. Don't get me wrong big brother, I like Inuba and everything. It's just...well…"

"I know, I know. Just looking out for me is all." I said patting the top of her head.

She seemed to really like the patting. I think she liked the idea of doing a good job and being rewarded for it.

"Well, I'm going to go see if Inuba is done yet so I can clean up too."

"You do realize there's two bathes, right?" Said Ciel.

"Ah, that's right, I almost forgot. Thanks for that." I told them walking off.

I could've sworn Leo tried to say something. But then I heard a smacking noise, so I assumed Ciel must have smacked Leo. She had a tendency of doing that a lot. Not that it hurt him. After all, both Ciel and Leo had the same insensitivity to pain I did, so they didn't really feel pain either.

"Right then, I'm off. Take the groceries inside so we can make lunch later."

"Roger!" Said Ciel as I took my leave.

I left to go take a bath, unaware of how busy my morning would be soon.

* * *

 **See? I told you things would be different. You may have noticed, you might not have. You'd know just a little teensy bit more if you read the original Hero of Remnant. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying drop this and go read that first. Though, you should read it whenever you can... I hear it's a pretty awesome story. *wink wink***

 **But yes! Reading the first story isn't a requirement or anything to understand what the heck is going on in this one. You can just jump right in to this one.**

 **Ohhhhhhhhh how exciting this will be from now on. I hope you're all as equally excited as I am. As for update scheduling... Hmmm... Let's do every two weeks like we've already been doing. What? Even I need time for myself. And time to write this and Veil of the Aether since I'm going back to college in two days. It's how it is folks. **

**Right, so before I send you all off...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. And trust me, you'll love it.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend! Bye-bye now!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Heya everyone! We are back for another week of Knights of White and Black! We're not quite yet there at Beacon, but our four heroes are going to be getting a surprise guest down below. Who is it? Well...read on and see.**

* * *

 **Of Baths and Propositions**

 **(Inuba POV)**

I shut the sliding door behind me and twisted the knob on the bath to shut off the stream of hot water. Placing my hand inside the bath while using the other to keep the towel wrapped around my body in place, I let the warmth build around my hand as it gently waded it through the waters, watching the steam rise from the bath in steady streams of vapor. Satisfied with the temperature, I stood up and unraveled the towel from my body, placing it upon the rack next to the tub as I took my first step inside.

A pleasurable tingle ran all the way up from my toes to my back as my body sank into the waters, my fox tail following suite. A relaxed sigh escaped my lips as I closed my eyes and smiled, fully content now. Well, partially content. There was something extra I would have liked...but…

My face reddened at thought as my fox ears folded against my head. A small, silent squeal escaped from my now submerged mouth. Admittingly so...even I had rather...passionate fantasies time to time… The best I can do at the moment is dream really… But, I have high hopes. Master has had no sort of romantic relationship with any woman so far in his life. Which is surprising really considering how charming and...well...handsome he is. He has had women of numerous varieties approach him, but each time he politely turned them down.

As selfish as it may seem...I'm glad that this was the case. Despite that however, I'm not as courageous as all those other women. Each time I try to approach him, I freeze up entirely and am unable to speak the words. Part of it is because I'm afraid really. Afraid of even the very small chance he might reject me, for if that happened… I wouldn't be able to handle it…

I don't think that will be the case. But just to be safe, now that we are away from everything else, I'll build upon our relationship even more to deepen and strengthen it even further than what it already is. Even so, I must be careful of other women who might set their sights on him. If they wish to be only friends with him, that's fine and acceptable. Otherwise...direct interference is required… Nothing violent or threatening. Just a simple talking to on the side to convince them otherwise. I have to do my best from now on. Better than my best! I-!

The sliding door opened suddenly as my eyes went wide with surprise, forcing me to sink my head deeper into the waters to hide. Who on earth could that possibly-?!

"Is Inuba already done? That was quick."

Oh. That's who.

Wait.

Wait a minute! It's him?! Why-?!

…

There are two baths in this room! I completely forgot! But Master is the type to forget something like this… Which means…

As much as I knew Ciel was "helping me" in her own way, sometimes it's rather ridiculous what she comes up with. Although...in the end, it isn't as bad as I would originally think at first… It's...basically something I'd like…

No no! I shouldn't think like those kinds of thoughts! At least...not yet…

My head only sank lower into the waters as I heard the other tub behind me, separated by a small wall, finished filling up along with the cranking of the nob.

"There. All done. Now…"

Just like when I dipped myself into tub, a relaxed breath came from Master as he too sank into waters of the tub behind me. He was humming to himself until he sank low enough to be completely submerged. It was then I had enough courage to peek my head up and look over the small wall that separated us. He had only then reemerged, followed by using both hands to slick his hair back with the water that had soaked his pure white hair. He let his arms relax on the sides of the tub and leaned his head back slightly so his neck could rest on the rim.

"Man… That was seriously tough… She can hit really hard when she wants to…"

I'm so sorry Master!

"It hurt a lot too... Well, for about a minute or so at least."

Wait… It...hurt you? As in physically hurt you..?

"Ah… It's no big deal. Just means I have to be more careful when sparring with her. And...well...to make sure I don't make her angry with me…"

That would be nearly impossible. Very impossible to be precise. The only time I will ever get angry with you is when you hurt yourself like you did in the past.

"I wonder… What are we going to do really? It's been three months now… We can't just sit around all day sparring, and cooking, and getting groceries and just staying at home really. The only time either Inuba, Ciel, Leo or myself leave to head out beyond the village is to hunt Grimm in surrounding villages. We don't ever really ask a lot in return from them. Actually, we don't ask for anything really. Unless it's really good food. Then we'll ask."

I smiled when I heard that. It was true. The only compensation we ever sought from surrounding villages is food really. Although Master, Ciel and Leonard do not need to eat food to survive, they enjoy eating it for the taste. That...and the three of them have seemingly bottomless stomachs. And they never get fat or a bit flabby either. Maybe it's because they burn off fat a lot more quickly than anyone else does…

"Maybe we can find something else to do. Travel around Remnant maybe? A road trip would be nice. We get to see all sorts of sights, to different places… Though I wouldn't be a fan of just walking around or going by ships. Hmmm… Maybe I could get a job and buy a car for us so we can actually go on a road trip. Vale is a city of opportunities from what I heard. Plus, we've never been to Vale yet. So it could work out. Still...I wonder if the three of them would like to go on a road trip…"

I actually would. I'd love to go see all sorts of amazing things in this new World and do all sorts of things. Just as long as if it's with you. Nothing else would make me happier.

"I'll start planning later. Right now...I'll just relax for a bit after taking that beating… Honestly… She's too good."

I couldn't see it for myself, but since my face grew hot, I could tell I was blushing slightly. And by accident, I let out a short, content giggle, something he obviously heard as he sat straight up. I immediately froze, both hoping and not hoping he would turn around. But he did so quickly a second later, and in those few moments of awkward silence, our eyes met. And we stared at one another for the longest time until with both gasped in surprise. Only, he was the one who tried to get out, but when he looked down before trying to get out he realized it wasn't a good idea for him to step out...not that I'd mind really….

He quickly sank back into the tub and turned his head away from me, his face as red as mine.

"H-How long have you been there?!" He asked me.

"F-For a while now! Um..! I-I-I fell asleep and only woke up now when I heard you talking! I t-thought I was imagining it and only now turned around to check and…uh...t-that's it…"

"I-I'm sorry! I'll, uh, I'll get out and-!"

"N-No! It's fine! Y-You… You can stay where you are, so… I-It's fine…"

"It's fine..? I-I mean…"

Was he afraid I would get the wrong idea about what he just said? Well… I did mean it was fine on both accounts...even if he didn't know that at the moment…

"Y-You know Master… I have been in here for a while and...I could use some help…"

"H-Help?!" He asked as his voice cracked a bit.

"Y-Yes… It's always a bit tricky, but, I could use some help washing my ears…" I told him referring to my fox ears.

I knew exactly what I was doing at the moment. Sometimes...I could at least managed to sneak something of this sort in.

"M-My back as well...if you don't mind…"

I turned around slightly to see him slap both hands on his face, as if he were hiding his shame. Wahhhhhhh~ He always did look rather cute whenever he was embarrassed...or shy… I could tell he was having certain thoughts about me at the moment… And honestly...I liked the idea… Especially since it was about me…

"Y-You sure you want me to..?"

"Y-Yes…" I said softly.

"W-Well then...c-could you look away for a moment?"

I wanted to say no and surprise him. In fact, I should have done just that. But...my weakness got the best of me…

I did exactly as he asked as my ears picked up the sound of him quickly escaping from the tub. I heard a small slipping noise and ducked my head slightly, expecting to hear him crash on the floor. But he managed to regain his footing immediately. After another few seconds, his footsteps grew closer until I could hear him directly behind me.

"W-Where should I start..?"

"With my back...please…"

I raised myself up and wrapped my arms around my chest, hiding my breasts as best I could as I slowly inched up to expose my back to him. I peeked behind slightly to see him staring at my back, holding a soft sponge in his hand, simply holding it in the air as if he were trying to figure out how to begin. If it weren't for the soap bubbles in the bath, he very likely would have seen my fox tail swishing about in the waters. It...did make me excited a bit…

"I… I'll be starting now…"

And so he began scrubbing my back with the sponge, going up and down slowly, moving horizontally after each long stroke by a slight amount as to cover my entire back. It was a good feeling, even if the scrubbing only lasted for about two minutes.

"Considering I'm scrubbing your ears too...would you like me to wash your hair first before your ears?"

Yes, I really do!

"Yes, that would be nice…"

I saw him quickly look around us and find the usual shampoo and conditioner I used that had a nice, minty cool herbal scent. He started with the shampoo first and went to work on my already soaked hair, spreading out the shampoo evenly through my hair. And then, he began washing it, gently digging his fingertips into my hair and scalp skillfully, making it feel like a blissful massage.

I let out a shaky sigh as he moved further and further up, reaching the area where my fox ears were located. He gently scrubbed around them at first, until he finally began on them. Each time he ever rubbed my ears, or my fox tail, it was a feeling that could only be described as pure bliss. He was too focused at the moment with making sure he was rubbing my ears as gently as possible to notice the soft moan that escaped my lips as my tongue lulled out slightly and my eyes partially closed. The pleasure I was feeling from having my ears rubbed was indescribable by words, the same being said for my fox tail whenever he rubbed or massaged it. All I could say is that each time, it felt like a small, sensual, electrical pulse that travels through my body with each movement.

"Am I doing okay?" He asked, still intensely focused on carefully rubbing her ears.

"Y-Yes…" I managed to say, biting back a blissful moan.

"Alright then… Doing good… Slow and steady…"

Slow and steady is only making it feel better at the moment..! Uwaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh~

Containing myself...is very...difficult..!

"Almost done...just a bit more…"

Take… Take your time..!

My breathing grew heavier and heavier, my heart pounding out of my chest with each second that continued, my mouth completely agape at this point but still trying to hold back the now silent moans as he moved to the very tips of my fox ears.

Then...he stopped… Why did he stop?!

"There… All done."

Not entirely you weren't…

"T-Thank you Master…"

"S-So…you're all done, right?"

"I believe so… I just need to rinse and-"

"Right… I'm, uh… I'm going to back and...finish up myself quickly…"

"If that's the case...could you also help me dry my hair and ears..? And...even my tail?"

I knew exactly what it was I was asking for. And I only felt very slightly guilty for secretly asking what I really wanted. Although...I have directly asked him for ear and tail massages before, to which he immediately said yes… How could I not ask? His hands felt...magical…

"S-Sure… Just uh… One minute?"

"Of course."

Would I have liked for him to continue right now? Yes I would. But I was going to be secretly pampered by him in just another minute or so. I could wait a bit longer.

* * *

 **(Dante POV)**

"Thank you for your help, Master." Inuba told me, bowing slightly as we walked along the wooden floors of the hall.

"It's… It's no problem…"

Honestly, I would have just said "If you need help with that again, just come ask me", but I felt that would have been too weird to say. Still though...she had a really soft and fluffy fox tail… The same for her fox ears… It was nearly impossible for me to resist not touching them. Whenever she does ask for ear or tail massages, I am always happy to oblige. It's like when you have a highlight of the day.

I always tend to watch what I say when around Inuba, in the sense of being a bit rude with my words, or cursing. Seriously, I don't curse in her presence. Ever. Not because I'm entirely reminding myself not to...but oddly enough...because I just don't do it? I don't know exactly. Being around her makes me want to do it less, now to the point where I don't even do so anymore, even without here being there next to me. She just has that calming effect with people.

"Well… What should we do today? Head into town and ask if there's been troubling in surrounding villages? Maybe just help out around town?"

"I suppose we will see once we arrive."

We were already dressed and ready to go. We just had to find Ciel and Leo, then tell Inuba's mother we were heading out.

Speaking of which, Kareina did say she wanted to discuss something with the four of us. I wonder what it could possibly be…

"Inuba, did your mother possibly say anything about what she wanted to talk to us about?"

"Nothing, surprisingly. Do you think it's something very important?"

"If she's asking for all four of us, then maybe it is. Or it could be just for tea. You never know really. Good thing we're going to see her no, huh?"

"Indeed…"

A minute or so of walking, we reached the grand hall and made our way to the large sliding doors before us, which automatically opened as soon as we approached.

"I must say mrs. Kitsukami, this is certainly the best brew of coffee I have tasted in a very long time along with these wafer treats."

"Oh my, it's nothing special really. Our household may be old fashioned in some cases, but that still doesn't stop us from using the current technology available to make whatever delicious treats we can think of."

"Apparently so."

"Oh! Dante, Inuba, please do come in."

Kareina looked young, about in her mid thirties with long white hair at was slightly messy that reached her waist. Atop her head were two white fox ears, and at her tailbone area were nine white fox tails, each at least five feet long and very very fluffy, like Inuba's own fox tail. She had shining crimson irises and a pale skin complexion, also like her daughter. She kept her eyes slightly narrowed to the point they almost seemed closed, but they were open just enough so that she could see.

For attire, she simply wore a white yukata with black flame patterns adorning the cuffs of the wide sleeves and the near the ends of the yukata. To keep it all tied together was a black sash.

I looked towards the new stranger sitting down on one of the pillows of the large floor-table next to Kareina, both adults glancing in our direction. For a moment our so, our eyes locked before Inuba and I walked towards the table, taking a seat shortly after.

I once again looked towards this...stranger. He looked like a middle-aged man, but from the air he gave off, you'd think he was much much older. He also had tousled silver hair and thin brown eyes with a light complexion and rather sharp facial features. Interestingly enough, he has black eyebrows… Maybe he had black hair when he was younger?

His attire was certainly strange a bit, wearing shaded glass spectacles and a small, purple, cross-shaped pin on the green cowl around his neck. His outfit mainly consisted of an unzipped black suit over a buttoned vest and green shirt. He also wore black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants.

The last two things on his persons was a cane of sorts that seemed to double as a walking stick. Its handle was embellished with a tangle-vine pattern, and there was a large knuckle guard that reaches down the bottom of the handle. The larger area at the bottom of the handle contained small gold-colored gears, hidden behind thin layers of glass. The shaft of the cane had a grey-black coloration and appeared to be...square in shape? Weren't most canes supposed to have round shafts? It didn't matter.

Lastly was the mug he drank coffee from. It was a white mug that seemed to have some sort of emblem printed on both sides of the mug. Well, he most certainly came prepared if he brought his own mug.

Overall...I was t sure what to think of this guy. He seemed alright. But he also had that shadiness to him that made him hard to figure out. I didn't entirely trust him. At least, not yet.

"Yo, we late for the party?" Asked Ciel behind the sliding doors.

Karen is giggled as she swiped her hand outwards, the doors opening on their own to let Ciel and Leo through.

"Who's this dude?"

"This 'dude' is a visitor who has come a rather long way to see you all." replied the man with a smirk.

"Even so, that doesn't answer who you are exactly." responded Leonard.

"If you sit down, you'd be able to find out who this man is." Replied Kareina.

Ciel shrugged simply before she sat down next to me, Leo sitting next to Ciel as well.

"Well, the introductions are your hands."

"Of course. Thank you all for coming here today, and above all, thank you for having me today."

"Well, thank you for joining us, I guess." I responded.

"I for one have heard you're an avid reader of sorts, always seeking to knowledge even further than what you previously knew."

"You could say that."

"Young man, do you know who I am?"

"Not in the slightest I'm afraid."

I really didn't know who this guy was. But he went as far as to assume I'd know about him. I can already imagine he knows a good deal about me, Inuba, Ciel and Leo by now since he's possibly been here talking to Kareina for a while. But how much did he know compared to what nothing I knew of him?

"That's alright then. I am Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy, one of the four largest academies to be located across Remnant and the four kingdoms."

"Academies? For..?"

Ozpin chuckled as he folded his hands together before speaking to me again.

"It would seem you aren't as aware of the outside world as I thought you would be…"

"Nothing's caught my interest so far, so I haven't looked into much of anything at all. I was thinking of traveling around Remnant with my partner Inuba and my sister and brother after I got a job or two to buy a car so we could do that."

"There are numerous roads spread across Remnant, but only few people use them really, even with the modern safety advancements and precautions we've implemented over the years."

"In short, not too many people travel by car because of the Grimm."

"Precisely. Though...it is a shame that such is the case. Traveling by car is always a rather excellent method of sight-seeing and travel."

"I agree. So...back to the question at hand. What are these academies for anyway? And why would I be interested in them? All of us for that matter."

"The Academies were created years ago in order to train the younger generation to become fine-tuned Huntsmen and Huntresses."

Huntsmen and Huntresses?

"Being a Huntsmen or a Huntress isn't simply a matter of the hunting Grimm like you might have been imagining just now. In fact, there are other services they provide, ranging from jobs and quests of numerous varieties that could take you anywhere in the world really. But most importantly, a Huntsmen and Huntresses duty is protecting the people against any threats. Both Grimm and otherwise."

Highly trained Heroes of sorts.

"But being a Huntsmen or Huntress isn't also strictly combat oriented. They can also reach out into fields of technology or intelligence jobs. Archeology. Relic hunting. So forth and so on. Fighting isn't their only method of work."

"But the main idea here is to be highly trained enough to go out into the world to fight the Grimm. And otherwise."

"In a matter of speaking, yes."

The Grimm are a major problem in Remnant, so I wouldn't put it past them to make Academies for this sort of thing. In a way, it's almost like the Defender Initiative The Plane of Angels have.

"You actually care enough about those students to not leave them strung out?"

"Master!" Inuba said rather angrily with me.

I wasn't going to go through that nonsense all over again. It's why I'm here in the World of Remnant in the first place. Not that I'm dragging Remnant through the mud or anything. It's just… I'm here now because of arrogant, greedy, despicable people who think they could do whatever they want because they're Angels, because they're servants under a long absent Creator. I wasn't about to go through the same process again, play puppet, and get thrown away because I had a difference of opinion. Never. Again.

"Mrs. Kitsukami has already informed me of your...circumstances."

I looked to Kareina, fairly displeased she told some shady character about who and what I did previously.

"You told him?" I asked with annoyance in my voice.

"To be honest, he already a fair amount himself already from what she told him."

Her? Of course it was her. How did I not think at first it was her?

When I came to Remnant, there was this mysterious girl in a white cloak, about my age from what she sounded like, that approached Kareina, Inuba and myself. She didn't explain who she was, only that she was here to watch over me as best she could. She was also partly the reason why I was able to find a meet Ciel and Leo. Since then, she's only appeared one other time to speak with Kareina before she left. Afterwards, we never saw her again. Apparently, she's been busy telling others about my personal business.

"Then you know of the young lady in the white cloak. In all honesty mr. Dante, for some time now, we've had our eye on you, your partner, and your siblings. Not to mention this rather luxurious estate in the northeastern mountain range near the sea that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Not to mention that the family living in said estate purchased a large section of the beach ten minutes away from here."

"Hey, it's a nice spot." Said Ciel.

"I agree with you completely ms. Ciel. Tracking back into what we were discussing… I know a great deal of you by now mr. Dante. At first, when I heard such stories, I was only slightly skeptical."

"Slightly?"

I found it hard to believe a man who was told the existence of other Worlds separated by magic barriers, Dark Entities who are the equivalent of Demons, and Angels would easily such accept such thoughts and ideas.

"Slightly." He started as he gave me another smile, "By now, I have learned it is best to keep an open mind, especially in the case of stories, tales, and legends that may seem a bit far-fetched at first. Though seeing you in action did force me to leave behind any sort of skepticism I had surrounding your story and how you came to be here."

He opened a Scroll device, pressed a few buttons on the collapseable holographic screen, and a video display opened up. It was just the five of us here in the estate, but we each have our own Scrolls. Only I took the liberty of upgrading our Scrolls into actual holographic Scrolls without having the need to carry around the phone-sized devices. All we had to do was have on our persons these very tiny clip on squares that we put anywhere on our clothes, or even our hair as an accessory. We could even be away from the squares and bring the screen close to us, in case you want to watch a movie or show in the bath. Or if you're rather preoccupied with your hands at the moment. Basically, I invented an actual holographic Scroll. HoloScroll for short. Did I share this with the outside world? No. Should I? Eh… Maybe…

Looking at Ozpin's Scroll, we did indeed see me in action, along with Inuba, Ciel, and even Leo. There was one of me cleaving through a pack of Ursi with relative ease, one of Inuba torching a group of Beowolves with her white flames without harming the environment, her control over fire was that outstanding, one of Leo blasting through numerous Grimm with his twin hand-cannons, and Ciel lifting a Deathstalker into the air with one hand before slamming into the ground numerous times like a toy while she slashed through Grimm behind her with her skeleton-like scythe.

He really did have us in his sights before today… Recntly too given the dates on the video feeds…

"So know of us and know of what the two of us have been up to before our time her in Remnant." I started referring to Inuba and myself at the end, "What exactly is the purpose of your visit today headmaster Ozpin?"

"Come now mr. Dante… I'm sure you already know."

"I'm sure I already know too. I just want to hear it from you instead."

Again he gave me that shady smirk, like he was both amused with the conversation while also carefully he planning what to say or do next.

"I wish to personally extend you an invitation to school mr. Dante. You, your partner, and your siblings."

"Just like that? We haven't even attended any other schools or Huntsmen/Huntress Academies."

"Despite this, I have looked at your scores from Homeschool given to me by mrs. Kitsukami. And I must say, your scores are very impressive. All of you." He said looking in between the four of us, "And from the various footage we've collected for some time now, your combat abilities are already above and beyond, even far better than veteran or seasoned Huntsmen and Huntresses. In short, all of you show great, if not excellent and promising futures at Beacon Academy, the school I head."

He wasn't simply pitching us an idea like a scurrying businessman. No, he actually believed in what he was saying. Ozpin believed full heartedly that we could have a future at his school and make something of ourselves, both during and after we graduate.

How could I tell?

I've always had a way of understanding people in a way. When crossing weapons on the battlefield with someone, I could always tell what they were thinking, what they were feeling. Nothing like mind reading or anything. Just...being able to understand them, if only for then. I could do the same just by looking at a persons eyes for a while.

I've always had this talent of being able to comprehend and understand people just by looking at them. Their gestures, their facial expressions, their tone of voice… If someone was smiling and speaking all cheerfully with me, but if deep down they really hated me or consider me to be a bother to them, I could almost immediately tell what they were really feeling and understand that they didn't like me all too much.

It...kind of sucks when someone's lying to your face, acting nice and formal in front of you when actually they're thinking of how much they dislike me or how much of a bother they think I am. Cozying up to you simply to keep up an appearance. Thinking about it never felt great really…

Oddly enough...Inuba has always been the only I've never been able to do that with. I can't read her at all, whether it be simply looking at her or crossing swords through sparring.

Ozpin though… Ozpin I could read. I could see and feel that he was being genuine and forthright with me and everyone else. He wasn't lying to me in anyway. But...I could tell there was something else. His tone of voice, the way certain facial muscles of his twitched and moved, certain ways his body shifted slightly… He wasn't exactly hiding anything from me. But he wasn't entirely able to tell me whatever else he was thinking of trying to say to me. Personally? I think he trusts me already. I just think he wants to see me in action for himself first before he can entrust other things to me.

The one thing I wasn't sure of is whether or not he was playing some sort of game with some unknown shade. But with everything I've seen and experienced so far, I'd have to assume this was the case. More importantly...he was struggling to keep everything together. He wasn't exactly losing, but he wasn't exactly winning either. Anything could turn the tide at any moment. And he was biding his time carefully, thinking of how to stay a step ahead.

In his own, silent way...he was asking for our help. Like any actual concerned adult, he didn't want to give us the impression anything was wrong. For the moment at least. He wanted to inspire some form of hope in us, just in case thing would take a darker turn in the future. Ozpin didn't know something like that was unnecessary.

When I came to Remnant, I told myself I was done serving higher powers, save for Dakini and Inari should I ever see them again. And in a way, I told myself I was done saving the world.

But even I know I can't just sit back when there's trouble that could threaten everyone. I wouldn't be able to keep to that word of not saving the world if it meant people I care for were in danger. I may have retired from being a Hero early because I was forced out of it by dangerous fools, but I wasn't exactly planning to un-retire anytime soon unless necessary. Instead...I'd just be me for once. Do what I want to do instead.

"Mr. Dante?"

My head jolted up after Ozpin called my name. I'd fallen silent for too long apparently since all of them were staring at me.

I took a deep breath, staring at the wooden table in front of me for a moment or two before I looked back towards the headmaster.

"Headmaster Ozpin… I… We...aren't looking to be personal toy soldiers, not like how Inuba and I were to The Plane. And it's my fault for keeping us there as long as we were thinking that we could change things when from the start they planned on screwing us over. We're not looking to further your personal gain, if you have any. You want help from us whenever there's a need? You come to us, explain everything, and tell us directly that you want help up."

"I understand mr. Dante. All I do wish for, personally, is everyone's safety and well-being. That is, and will always be, my prime concern. While part of your future was taken from you by the higher powers that be, not all of it was stolen from you. What I seek is ot only to make your stay here in Remnant comfortable, but to pave a new road for your future, a future separate from the lifestyle and the events that you and your partner have experienced that lead you to us. And I believe attending Beacon will start you upon that path of furthering your future your own way through your own means and choices. Not guided by those who would wish to simply use and discard you...but by those with thinking similar to your own."

None of that was surprisingly a lie. He was honest and upfront with me through and through, just like how I was being with him. And that's soemthing I appreciated greatly. If he says I can further my future, my own way...then I'll believe him. This wasn't a man who was greedily seeking force for his own benefit or need. This was a man seeking to safeguard the future, just like how I did. Just like how I still do.

"Headmaster Ozpin…"

All eyes were on me at the moment as I locked eyes once more with the headmaster in front of me.

"If you can offer us all that you've mentioned...then I assume you'll be happy to know that we would be more than willing to attend Beacon Academy."

Another smile appeared on his face, not a shady smile like I thought at first. A smile full of confidence. A smile full of relief. A smile full of hope.

"I can fully guarantee to meet your expectations mr. Dante, so long as you meet mine as well."

"I will. So then...where do we start?"

* * *

 **Soon enough...our four heroes will make the journey to Beacon.**

 **That's pretty much it. Go check out my other story, Hero of Remnant: Veil of the Aether whenever you get the chance!**

 **And with that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. And trust me, you'll love it.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend! Bye-bye now!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Of Gifts and Luxurious Steeds**

* * *

 _"Remember now. The opening ceremony is at least a day from now. I would suggest packing up now and leaving at a later time today considering it is only still morning."_

 _"Well, we can't just walk all the way to Beacon. How are we going to get there?"_

 _"I believe, Mr. Dante…that that issue has already been solved. I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow."_

* * *

What did he possibly mean by that? How has that issue been already solved? Was there going to be an airship waiting for us at a village, or..?

I could only continue trying to think of how we were going to get to Beacon while I finished zipping up my suitcase, looking over my shoulder to see Inuba finish packing her belongings while Ciel and Leo packed up the last of all of our collective items we had in our rooms.

For Leo, it was a trunk of different books, filled with both normal books and...well...not so normal books. Books not meant for human eyes. Or Faunus. In the chest was also a collapsable, black and white marble chessboard with chess pieces made of black and white marble for the individual sides.

Leo liked chess. Well, liked is downplaying it. He loved chess. Whenever he got the chance, he'd always play against me. Granted, he'd lose more often than win, he still has a lot of fun with it. It gives him a chance to come up with different strategies each time to test out on me. Everyone else though...well...he'd destroy them utterly.

To the common eye, Leo definitely seems really soft spoken and nervous. And shy. Well, he is all those things. What I'm trying to say is that even he can be scary. Like really scary. Scary like how I was back in my younger years. Not as bad mind you, but still. It's really hard, if not near impossible to make Leo angry. Still though, don't try it.

Ciel had grabbed a few decorative items off her famous shelf of stuff that she had on there. A rubber band ball, a Rubik's cube with all the color square stickers torn off so now it was just a completely black Rubik's cube, a few posters, so forth and so on. Probably the thing she took the most care to pack in was her vast set of ink color pens, for when she only had paper to draw on, and the set of four pens I made exclusively for her to use on her HoloScroll, which is where she did the vast majority of her drawings.

Despite how Ciel usually is, she's actually a really good artist. Like really good. There were a few pictures on her wall with some really amazing works of hers. Of course, they were anime and manga related artwork, but that didn't make it any less impressive with how she drew them. She even drew the four of us in the same art style, which actually looked pretty neat. If I didn't know any better, she could very well be any kind of artist she wants.

Not only does she draw well, but she also takes some really nice pictures. From selfies, to group photos, to fantastic scenery shots, Ciel knows how to work a camera and even out in some nice filters time to time make it look even better if needed. She takes more pictures than drawing, but really, she's good at both.

As for Inuba, she packed away a few recipe books she couldn't make available on her HoloScroll, along with a few other books that had their covers...removed… Huh, I wonder why… Other than that, a few cooking utensils of her own and a brush or two, most likely for her fox tail.

As for me? Well… A few tools and the such, a few trophies and things I collected on my previous adventures, the gaming systems the four of us used, and our LinkBox. The LinkBox allowed us to watch tv shows, movies and everything else you could get from my World, Primordial. Netflix, Hulu, HBO, specifically for Game of Thrones, YouTube, anything you could think of. A gift from our friend in the white cloak. Needless to say, it's managed to keep us all entertained on days we just sat back and relaxed.

With that, we all had our clothes and toiletries packed into medium sized suitcases, and all of other other belongings into small trunks that we fit into an equally small trunk of the same size. Ciel made the inside of that one trunk a pocket dimension that allowed us to put the other four trunks and our suitcases inside it. So technically, we only had one small trunk in the end. Thanks to Ciel's Semblance, saving space was never an issue whenever we traveled.

"Alright, everyone packed and ready?" I asked.

"I believe so, Master."

"Done and done."

"Ready when you are, brother."

Great. We're ready and set to leave. I'd be dishonest if I said that I wasn't concerned about leaving home. Again. I didn't know what to expect really, what will come of our time at Beacon and so forth. But...what had been on my mind more prominently was the final thing Ozpin said to me and specifically me when he left. Whispered to me really as he passed me by.

"I guarantee that you will find the answers you have long been searching for throughout your life."

Answers… Those would be nice. But how would Beacon help me find them? Would there be times I get sent out and will find them along the way? Or are there things specifically hidden in Beacon that can give me those answers? I haven't the slightest clue. At least, not yet.

Leaving home isn't easy for anyone. Not even me. I may seem all calm and collected on the outside about all this, but truthfully, I am a bit nervous. Leaving home? Again? And all to go on some sort of unexpected journey that just popped out of the blue? Who wouldn't be nervous, even if just a little? Well, unless you were some cold-hearted rogue who's all like "Who killed my Father?" and the such, sure, maybe then you wouldn't be so nervous and instead grumpy all the time. Luckily I'm not a "grumpy-butt" anymore like… Like… Wait...who used to call me a grumpy-butt back then? Huh… Can't recall…

"Master?"

"Hmmm?"

"You've been staring at the wall for about a minute now. Are you alright?"

Whoops. Was thinking too much again.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just...you know...thinking about things."

"Such as?"

"Well for starters, that hopefully all of us don't have to go through the same nonsense you and I did. And I mean that. I know that you guys may not have experienced what Inuba and I have been through, but you've seen the most, if not all of it. You know how dangerous things can be and what might be lurking right around the corner at any given time. Even so, I don't want to put the two of you through those kinds of things."

"Dude, relax. We're tougher than you think." Said Ciel.

"I know that, but-"

"There really is no cause for concern, brother. Should we ever run into such intense trouble as you once did, we won't shy away from it. We will stand at your side, regardless of situation."

That...well… That wasn't so much surprising from Leo, given how he almost always gives a calm answer in response.

"Like he said. We're with you all the way. If something big and scary comes along the way, we'll just have to kick its ass!" said Ciel as she audibly smacked her fist into her palm.

I couldn't help but smile at her response. Typical Ciel, always unafraid and looking to take out the big guys. At a first glance, you'd think she's just some cute girl who's all "lol" and "omg", and that kind of thing who doesn't have a single clue. Well, she's the exact opposite. Despite how she acts or what she says, she's actually very smart. Almost as smart as me sometimes. Happy-go-lucky, really friendly, seems like she's very harmless, right? Well, remember the "crushing a person with her pinky" thing I mentioned a while back? Well...that's actually true. In terms of raw strength...she might actually be stronger than I am…

I glanced towards Inuba, who noticed I had done so and turned her head to glance back at me.

"Well...I think it'd be pointless of me to ask whether or not you want to follow along this time, given that I pretty much know your answer…"

"You're right. It would be pointless to ask, Master. I vowed that I would follow you around everywhere, no matter what."

"You did say that… Alright then. Since you're all so keen on it, let's head out then." I said grabbing my suitcase while I also grabbed the small trunk where we fit all of our other personal belongings in.

Everyone else simply grabbed their suitcases and followed behind me as we walked along the wooden floors towards the exit, passing by a few caretakers we hired from the village below to come work for us at the estate. We did need the help maintaining an estate of this massive size.

"Just a moment everyone."

The four of us stopped in our tracks and turned around to find Kareina approaching us.

"I would very much like to speak with you all before you depart."

* * *

"Though only one of you here is actually my child, I still consider the three of you in the same way. Thus the same motherly concern I have for Inuba is also shared with the rest of you. I'm sure that you do not wish to hear it by now, but I will say so either. Please...all of you. Make sure to take care along your journey. As things are now, much is filled with uncertainty as to what the future may hold, but I have high hopes that things will be less arduous than what you previously encountered."

"We pretty much hope for the same thing." I replied, the other three besides me nodding in agreement.

Kareina smiled at my response before giving hers.

"I know it may seem as though I'm nagging you, but do make sure to take full advantage of what may come your way during your time at Beacon. Eat healthy, dress well, keep yourselves properly clean and hygienic, so forth and so on. But...most importantly…please be careful at all times whenever they send you outside of the school to conduct Hunts. I know that my asking you to be cautious isn't necessary for all of you to hear, but I will say it nonetheless."

She was just doing her basic duty as a mother, despite her not needing to tell us to be careful and the such. It was something all four of us appreciated, particularly the three of us since...well…

"And Dante...please no fighting."

I immediately raised up my hands, my mouth open to say something, but not managing to do so until "Why always me?! Why not her?" I finished as I pointed towards Ciel.

"Hey!" Shouted Ciel.

"Don't even start. I know about your 'Crusade' in your earlier school days in Vacuo where you always managed to beat up half the guys in your class. Every year. It wasn't even restricted to your class either."

Ciel raised a hand to try for a rebuttal, but ultimately failed to do so.

"That's what I thought."

I heard Kareina giggle and turned to face her, still slightly annoyed with her previous comment.

"Come now, I was only poking fun a bit."

Poking fun...you say…

I'll admit, I wasn't always as...calm and respectful and the such when I was younger.

What? I was a bit of problem child back then. So what? And I say a bit because I really didn't do all that much. At all. Just a not-so-nice attitude at times. And really snarky comebacks.

"Joking aside, do mind your manners everyone. Like any other school, you will meet people with different views and ways of life. And they may or may not be less than desirable views at certain times. But it's always important to remain the better person in such situations. Understand?" She said specifically looking in my direction once more.

"Loud and clear."

Though the others might not have gotten what she actually was really saying, I did. I gave her a silent nod to affirm that I understood, to which she gave me a smile to.

"Very well then… I believe it's about time for all of you to leave."

"Speaking of which, how are we going to get there? As far as I know, I don't think there's a village between here and Vale that has an airship."

I checked along the way we made for the door. Which told me we were either hoofing it all the way or hitchhiking. In all honesty, we could do it. But I know for a fact we'd really not want to.

"That problem has already been solved since yesterday, actually."

Yesterday? Did she and Ozpin figure something out for us already?

"Which reminds me...I have something for you Dante. Two things actually."

"Two things?" I asked as I rubbed the ring on my left index finger with my thumb.

"Yes. Think of them as parting gifts for the start of your journey."

"What? Brother gets gifts and we don't?" Said Ciel before she got a nudge in the side from me.

Kareina giggled at my younger sisters rather childish nature.

"But you've already received your gift young Ciel. The same for you Leonard."

Wait… Does she mean-?

"Each of your weapons all came to the original Kitsukami estate years ago from a mysterious benefactor." she began as she turned behind her to grab a long, rectangular wooden case, "However, only one of the weapons came with instructions to deliver to be delivered separately from the other two." she said looking to Ciel and Leo.

"That's right… I had almost forgotten… Each of our weapons were tailor made to suit us differently, and they are only weapons that can be wielded between the three of us." said Leo, "So far, only Ciel and I have received our Stratera Arms (Balanced Arms). You were the only one who hasn't, brother."

He's right. I'm the only one of the three of us who hadn't received a Stratera Arm, a weapon that is perfectly balanced in usage between Light and Dark Powers. They are the only weapon types known in existence that can perfectly channel any type of the two powers you might have, or in the case of us three, both types. And since we have both Light and Dark Essence within the three of us, we can not only use both power types, but we also make the weapons even more powerful in our hands.

Like I also mentioned, only we can wield them unless we give permission for another to use them. That's all we really know about them. What their names are and what they can do. We don't where they came from or who actually made them, only that they came into our possession with written letters explaining only those two details and when they were to be given. For Ciel and Leo, it was for when direct contact was made with them. As for me...apparently now was the time I finally get one.

I hesitantly looked at the case presented before me, reaching out to it very slowly. I...felt a strange presence coming from within the case. It...seemed familiar to me… And I to it...as if...it were calling to me.

Both of my hands soon found themselves firmly grasping the case that was handed to me, and for the longest time, I simply stared at the box.

"Uh, we don't got all day big brother. You know? Places to be and all that?"

I glanced over at Ciel slightly, but then immediately refocused my attention to the box in front of me as my right hand drifted towards the latchlock and opened it. I opened the case slowly until I finally had managed to completely open it and gaze upon the weapon inside the case.

It was...well...beautiful for lack of a better word.

At a simple glance, it was a Longsword, nothing more and nothing less. But Dante knew this weapon was much more.

The blade of the Longsword was colored a pure white, spanning four feet in length and 1.5 inches in width. A shallow bevel outlined the blad, making it the Longsword's sharp edge, the bevel itself at least 0.5 inches wide. Along the center base of the blade were intricate runes etheced into both flat sides of the blade, which spanned all the way from the cross guard almost all the way to the tip of the weapon, just five inches short of the tip.

The cross guard was of the same color of the blade, pure white, with thin, cross guard branches at least half a foot long, taking on a diamond-like shape with beveled sides and smoothed corners. Two half inch prongs were found on the ends of the cross guard branches that pointed upwards towards blade, retaining the same, diamond shaped bevels the cross guard branches did. The center of the guard, on both sides of the weapon, had one final corner, reaching forward and encasing the center of the blade itself in a short, rounded, central protrusion resembling a diamond-like shape, merging with the blade's surface itself.

Below the cross guard was the handle that was a foot long, the beginning of the handle bound in leather-like material that had an imprinted grip for better handling. Below the leathery grip was the rest of the handle, the metal colored pure white like the rest of the blade, and taking on a round shape. The pommel was simply a round, black metal cap that widened out slightly at the end.

Never have I seen a weapon, at least, a Longsword as majestic as this one was. I can see now why this weapon was specifically tailored to me in many ways. Dignity. Elegance. Intellect. Strength. I'm not tooting my horn or anything. I was really talking about the sword itself. It really did embody those four words in its entirety.

Ciel whistled at the sight of the Longsword while Leo gave an impressed hum.

"Such impressive craftsmanship… It really does suit you Master…" said Inuba as she leaned in close to me.

Like really close. Our faces three inches apart close. I moved my head away from hers quickly as I felt heat building up in face. As of recent months I've been more...conscious of Inuba than I was back then. What? It's not my fault that she's...well...attractive…

Okay. Attractive is belittling. Try gorgeous beyond belief, as in Aphrodite herself doesn't stand a chance in comparison. No, seriously, I'm not even kidding. I've seen Aphrodite. She tried seducing me. Didn't work thanks to Inuba. But yes, hotter than the sun, so forth and so on. Point is...staring at her for too long makes you want to stare more, as in you don't want to look away. Luckily, I have this thing called self control and know better. Sometimes….

"Well young Dante, what are your thoughts?" asked Kareina.

"It's… Well… It's amazing…"

A moment after, my white and black Aura engulfed my hand, blazing around my new Longsword as it too turned into white and black Aura and vanished within my Aura. The short blaze of my Aura died down as I examined my hand, giving it a squeeze a few times before I lowered it.

"It belongs to you now. Do make sure to use it wisely on your journey. As it is, we know nothing of the weapons you and your siblings possess. Only that they far surpass the capabilities of known weapons. Even those possessed by The Plane of Angels and those of the Dark World, home of the Dark Entities." said Kareina.

We own the most powerful types of weapons known and made in the whole of Creation...

Wonderful. Just wonderful.

"In short, be responsible with them. We know. We won't let you down." I said reassuring her.

"I know. Now then...bring your bags with me. It's time I bestow upon you your final gift before you all take your leave."

* * *

Our small detour took us to the outside, the cold, chilly air gently breezing through us as we moved towards one of the gate entrances, where we made a connecting road down from the mountain to the main road.

What? We had a weekend off. Had to do something.

The gate was closed at the moment, but to our left facing the gate was a sort of large, storeroom shed with large double doors that opened outwards.

"This last gift is more or less for all of you, but, only one of you currently has legal permission to use it." said Kareina.

Wait. What? Only one of us?

…

That must be me since I'm the only one who cared to get permits and licenses to use some tools, machines and the such. Some of them I actually needed, others, just in case really. Mainly it was stuff for forgeworking, just fooling around mainly. Now that I think about it...I should start selling some of that stuff so I can start to finally get some cash. I still do want to buy a car for us to travel around in whenever we get the chance. And hey, if we get it cleared with Ozpin, we could even use that to take us to mission or Hunt locations. Airships have never really been my thing.

Well, whatever it was it must worth all this-

As soon as Kareina opened the doors to the inside of the storeroom shed, my jaw dropped. Was I seri Jody seeing what I was seeing? Was this a hallucination? No, not possible, I'm unable to suffer hallucinations.

Let me give you the rundown of what was inside. A car. But not just any car. A really freakin fancy looking car, stuff you'd see in magazines, online articles and the such.

The car itself had a main body paint of white, but part of it, the trim and other segments, were colored black. The proportions were just fantastic, the waistline incredibly sculpted, and the angular design was simply outstanding. The V-shaped grille proudly held a badge I wasn't all too focused n at the moment. The vertical headlights formed a U-shape with the bottom black metal accessory piece, rounding off the front fascia of the car. The wheels were huge, featuring a 9-spoke design on large tires, the spokes and rims themselves colored pure black with some white metal trim decorating the rim and spokes.

As I moved further inside, I moved away from the front and went further to the back segment, realizing just how elegant the entire car. The back of it slimmed down both in width and in height, forming a cone shape almost. There were just two vertical taillights mimicking the front ones almost identically, and the rear mufflers were just below them, housed in two vertical shaped squares.

The lines of the boot followed into the back too, forming a V-shape as well. The back of it was as symmetrical to the front as possible, the line going all the way from the front wheel to the back end. It swooped upwards to just under the taillights.

I looked at the doors and realized there were rear suicide doors that were pulled outwards, each with black handles placed on the pure white doors.

There was no top covering the car, so I assumed it must have been a convertible. But let's be honest, a car like this? It must have a collapsable top. The only question now was if it was a collapsable hardtop or not, because then this car would be even more majestic from my view.

The interior was just as impressive of the exterior of the car. The majority of the material inside was black leather with some white trimming and highlights. The black dashboard had the same swooping theme, except it was angled more towards the driver's seat. The instrument cluster behind the steering wheel extended to the passenger side in a fin-tailed look almost. The center console below was low, and the tunnel went all the way to the back where I found just two more seats in the back, three if were we being more realistic. The tunnel provided some storage room, and it housed a host of buttons and switches below for controlling every imaginable thing in this car. The fit and finish was excellent.

One last thing to check. The engine. Given the design, I had a guess that the engine wasn't located under the hood. And I was right. The hood wasn't just one hood, but a double space compartment. From the sides, the hood doors folded inwards towards each other, revealing two different compartments for storing whatever. Our suitcases would definitely fit in one of the storage compartments and our trunk of stuff in the other. Maybe the engine was in the back?

I went to the back of the car once more, my hand drifting against the smooth, white body. I found that the trunk was still the trunk, with plenty of space in the back. After closing the trunk lid, I saw another openable panel further up from the trunk. That must be were the collapsable hardtop roof is contained. So where is the engine then?!

Looking on the left side of the car, where the steering wheel was located, I saw something interesting. A panel. On the left side of the car, near back of the hood doors and to the left of the windshield, I pressed on the three foot long panel as it opened upward, right in front of the side mirror. It was there I saw the engine, and it looked marvelous. It was the v16 engine used in...Cadillac Ciel model cars?! Are you freaking serious?!

I leaned closer to inspect the engine closely, making sure I wasn't seeing it wrong.

...

I wasn't.

It was exactly what I was seeing. Not only was the engine a Cadillac Ciel v16 engine, but the car itself was a Cadillac Ciel! The 2017 model no less! Of course, from the looks of it, it was definitely customized to be slightly different from the 2017 model. For instance, the hood doors that opened up to reveal massive space compartments to store things in it, and the v16 engine being located on the left side of the car next to the left hood door, near the left side door as well.

What the hell is going on here?!

"W-Where did you get this?!" I asked dumbfounded.

I seriously was. How did she get this car?! I know the Kitsukami clan was extremely well funded beyond belief, but this…

Kareina only giggled at my dumbfounded stupor.

"No, seriously, where and how in the world did you get this?!"

"Just yesterday actually. It was a gift from one of your friends. He said something about buying the car and working on it himself to give it more of a…'whallop', I believe he said? Here. The car came with a letter."

I stood up hurriedly and walked over to Kareina as she handed me the letter, Inuba, Ciel and Leo crowding around me as to read as well.

"Good Dante, I'd ask how are things...but...well...I'd feel as though that would be rather insensitive of me given how events transpired. For now, I'll assume things are a bit better for you since I heard of what actually happened during your transport. You sly dog you…"

What the hell man… I had nothing to do with it at all… How wrong is your info?!

"Anyway…"

You son of a-! You knew you were guessing and predicted you might be wrong and just covered it up!

"I never managed to get a decent enough gift for you throughout our time as friends. And it occurred to me you were never in possession of a car. Not just any car, but an actual car. A good car. An excellent car. A luxurious car worthy of-"

Get to the point already!

"And you can guess the rest. When we passed by car shows on our way throughout our travels, I know exactly what you were eyeing. The Cadillac Ciel 2017 model, yes? I must admit, you have expensive tastes friend. But, such a thing matters not. It took a decent amount of time, but I managed to find one of the 2017 models in your favorite color scheme, white and black. As you probably have seen, the main color of the car's body is white while other detailings, highlights and trims are in black, while the interior is thoroughly coated with smooth black leather with white detailing. Impressive display, yes?"

Very impressive indeed.

"After finally receiving the car, I took the time to make personal modifications to it, like moving the twin turbocharged v16 engine into a handmade compartment near the rear end of the left hood door and near the left front tire. That, along with actually making the hood into two doors with two different spaces for storage. That way you can fit a lot more things in the car if you ever plan to go for a long road trip with the additional space of the trunk."

Very nice, very nice…

"Two extra details actually. One, instead of one twin turbocharged v16 engine, you have two! The other one is positioned the same way on the right side of the car!"

What the-? Two engines?!

I moved to the front right of the car and noticed another three foot long panel near the rear of the right hood door, opening it to find another black and white v16 engine, like the first one, inside.

Seriously?! Two engines?! Why?!

I closed the panel containing the second engine and continued with the letter.

"Just to mention now beforehand a bit of warning. Due to there being two twin turbocharged v16 engines, the car now actually has 5000 horsepower, goes from 0 to 90 miles per hour in 1.5 seconds, and has a top speed of 400 miles per hour!"

Are you trying to murder me with this car?! No...wait! He knows nothing can kill me! He built it exactly that way to get me thinking like that! And to make it a very impressive car altogether bless him! Wait, he's trying to make me think more than I should! You clever bastard…

Despite all that...that is some very impressive specifics… 400 miles per hour? 5000 horsepower? 0-90 miles per hour in 1.5 seconds? Good lord man…

"And I had the car bulletproofed."

Bulletproofed?! What the hell man?! What kind of trouble did you think I was going to get into?! Wait… Judging on where I'm heading to soon enough, that might actually end up being beneficial…

I apologize…

"Other than those few extras, it's just an amazing car all in all! I do hope you enjoy this gift from me to you. I don't know whether or not it's a final gift since I do not know whether or not our paths will ever cross again. But, rest assured, I will try to find a way for us to do see each other again. All of us. Well, except for our fine-feathered acquaintance that is. Rest assured, we'll find our way to you one day. But for now, enjoy this gift. May it take you wherever your heart desires. From your friend, Rosswell Vermilion."

Well, I have to hand it to Ross… He sure knows how to write letters… Then again, he is a vampire that's lived for over six hundred years now. Not like Edward Cullen glittery vampire. Like an actual vampire. Ross and his family were all turned a few years after Count Dracula, Vlad the Impaler, was turned. According to Ross, and personal historic records, The Count deemed them worthy enough to be turned, and so Ross' family became the actual first, and eldest vampire clan in all of Primordial. Pretty cool huh?

If you didn't realize it by now, Ross is a freak when it comes to cars. Whenever I traveled with him, he'd always find some bigwig car convention for us to stop at and check out. And given the vast amount of wealth his family has, sometimes he even bought a car at the auctions. Sometimes even five. He didn't only like driving them around and collecting them, but he also loved working on them. So I can see him modifying this Cadillac Ciel 2017 model was like his ultimate undertaking project.

"Well, it seems as though Rosswell is doing well for himself Master. I can only assume so are the others…" said Inuba.

"Yeah…"

"But…to think he would gift you with a vehicle of this...luxurious appearance and specifications… It's almost ridiculous…"

"It's Ross, Inuba. Almost everything he does is ridiculous."

"Oh yes, I had almost forgotten..."

Seriously, if you knew the guy like Inuba and I did, you'd agree.

"Well...that takes care of the car issue I was thinking off earlier. And transportation for that matter given how unbelievably excellent this car is…"

"Agreed… The specifications this Rosswell character mentioned are certainly outstanding…" said Leo.

"Basically a super car." said Ciel.

"Basically." replied Leo.

"Right, well, we've basically got a day of driving ahead of us, so hurry up and put whatever you can in the trunk, and if there's extra space, put it inside one of the hood storage compartments." I said instructing my younger siblings.

"Sure sure… Alley op!" was all Ciel said before grabbing hold of all four of our suitcases.

She then stuffed all four in the trunk while Leonard put the small trunk in last before closing the lid, allowing the two to open the rear suicide doors and take their seats in the back of the new car.

"Woah-ho! This is awesome!"

"Certainly outstanding."

Glad to see they were liking it… Now then, one final thing to take care of…

"Thank you...for everything you've done for me. I know I must have been a bother most of the time-"

"Come now, you were never a bother to us young Dante." said Kareina, "In fact, having you with us has been a pure joy. I do mean that. Take care of yourself and everyone else, yes?" She finished while bringing me into a hug.

"S-Sure thing…" I replied.

She then let me go and pulled in Inuba. I couldn't hear them exactly, but all I heard was the number ten. At that point, a second after, I saw Inuba blush a furious red as her mother gave her a coy smile before patting her head.

"What did-?"

"N-Nothing at all!" responded Inuba and a quick and embarrassed tone as she walked towards me.

Apparently she doesn't want to talk about it. Fair enough. Not my business to pry anyway.

"Safe travels everyone. And do your absolute best with your time at Beacon."

"We will. Thank you once again." I said bowing to her.

She then bowed to me, allowing me to take my leave. I went to right side of the car and opened the door for Inuba, who graciously thanked me before getting in and strapping on the seat belt. I did the same thing after I got in, turning back to check and see if Ciel and Leo had done the same, to which Ciel gave me a thumbs up as she tugged on her already strapped seatbelt, Leo giving me a nod as he did the same.

"Right… Everyone ready?"

"Ready, Master."

"Ready."

"Let's get this show on the road!"

I gave Ciel a smile before starting the car by pressing a button to the right of the steering wheel, the car shortly and silently roaring to life soon after. I grabbed hold of the clutch and shifted the gears to get us started on our new journey, slowly taking us out of the storeroom shed as we gave Kareina one final wave goodbye. The massive gates of the back entrance opened just as we left the shed, allowing us to pass through freely and transition onto the smooth road outside to begin our descent from the mountain. The sun was out, but despite this, it was fairly cloudy, preventing most of the suns rays from blanketing the land. Other than that, perfect weather really.

"So when do I get a shot at driving this?" asked Ciel.

"Not for a while." I replied.

"What?! Why?!"

"Because you're of age to start learning how to drive, not actually drive on your own. You need to test for your drivers license before you can drive on your own."

"And you have one?"

"I do. I went to the offices in Vale one day when I had the chance, took their test, passed, and got my license within the day."

"Then-!"

"You're not doing that. At least, not until you learn how to drive. And drive well. Don't worry. When we have time on the weekends, I'll teach you and Leo how to drive. Then you can go test and get your license."

"Fine~!" said Ciel as she crossed her arms and pouted, "I bet if Foxy asked to drive you'd let her…"

"Um…"

Inuba tried to respond, but fell short due to embarrassment. She doesn't have to be embarrassed about it. There's plenty of people like her who think the same.

"I would because she has a license too."

"What? Really?" asked Ciel looking to Inuba.

"She does. But, she won't drive at all unless it's an absolute emergency. She's a bit afraid of driving."

"M-Master…" she said in an embarrassed tone as her fox ears folded against her head.

"It's perfectly natural, don't be ashamed by it."

It took five or so minutes, but we finally hit the main road leading outside the village, following the worn out black pavement that was dead ahead of us. Leo put in the coordinates to Vale in the gps app that was displayed from the holographic display console.

I know right?! It has one of those too!

Ten hours until we reach Vale… The gas tank was full, and considering Ross very likely did something about the amount of fuel consumption, we'd be there without having to stop for gas. But just to be safe…

"Inuba?"

"Yes?"

"Can you look in the glovebox and see if there's a manual you can read to me about gas mileage? Ross likely put one in there for us, or made a detailed list himself."

"Of course. Let's see…"

She pulled the handle as the compartment opened as a small light brightened up the inside to guide her to the object of interest. A small manual. Definitely made by Ross given his family crest was located on the the front cover.

"Um… Master?"

"Yes?"

"There might be a small situation…"

"Situation?"

"The booklet is written in a different language… But, I do recognize some words… Uh…"

I glanced at Inuba's lap to see the booklet resting there as she struggled to read the different language. Once I saw it for myself, I broke out laughing.

That cheeky, vampiric bastard…

"Master?"

Inuba was never any good at the language she was trying to decipher currently. Luckily, I was.

"The reason why you can't understand it...is because Ross wrote the manual in Romanian."

"T-That...deviant…"

I laughed once again as Inuba closed the booklet and tossed it back inside the compartment before closing, she herself giving a cute pout of frustration.

"Don't worry about it. I'll take a look at it if we stop for food and stuff along the way. You guys ever travel along the road?" I asked directing my question to my siblings in the back.

"Not entirely brother. We mostly cut through forest, terrain and land to get to you, only rarely seeing a road. But from what I've read recently, the roads were made to be very durable and not requiring maintenance for decades, meaning they should be still structurally sound for travel along the way. That's unless a Grimm of large proportions may have destroyed a part of the road along the way." said Leo.

"Well, let's hope that's not the case then."

If it was, we'll either drive around or have Ciel pop us over to the other side of unbroken road if necessary with her Semblance.

In all honesty, I was excited for this. We kinda get to have our first road trip so soon. And in this magnificent beast of a car too! Ross, you glorious vampire you, wherever you are, thank you very much for this.

"Master..?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you excited about attending Beacon?"

"Well…"

Yes? Sort of? I didn't know how to feel about entirely. Except part of me was indeed excited to go there.

"Yeah, pretty excited. At least we'll be doing stuff instead of lounging about for most of the day."

"I agree. It'll definitely be a good opportunity for newer and better experiences than what we had previously."

"It wasn't all that bad…"

"It wasn't, but as you put it, we still had many downsides along with all the upsides."

"True enough… But don't you worry one bit. Things will be better this time."

"Promise?"

W-Well… That was sudden. Making me promise already?

"Sure. Promise."

"Hey, can we stop for some food along the way? Not like now, but like, later later?"

"Sure thing."

"Sweet~!" replied Ciel as she let out a sigh while leaning back fully in the seat.

I could already tell...this was going to be fun. Spending time with them doing this sort of thing. Spending time with them in general really. But hey, who doesn't like a good road trip now and then? And given we'll be doing missions for Beacon, we'll be having plenty of chances to go on short or long trips. All I knew for now...is that this was going to be quite the eventful journey this time.

* * *

 **My oh my...what an amazing steed they have indeed...**

 **I look at cars time to time and only just recently have looked into some of the cars Cadillac puts out, and by God, the Cadillac Ciel cars they make look absolutely amazing beyond description. And guess what? They have a Cadillac Ciel 2017 model in the works, slated for possible release sometime this year.**

 **I choose for the group to have a car because you don't really see all too many cars around in Remnant. I want to fix that. And what about actual roads? There has to be some in at least a few places. So, I decided that our group of new Beacon students will have their car to drive around when they need to in Vale, and to go out out on missions. I've never been all too much of a fan of the airships that they use. Plus, they wouldn't be able to see as much when moving around and about. So, I decided a car is what they'll have and is what will take them wherever they need to go.  
**

 **The drive to Beacon won't be without peril. Believe me, I'll make sure of that. Road trips won't be as simple as you're thinking.**

 **So with that...**

 **That's pretty much it. Go check out my other story, Hero of Remnant: Veil of the Aether whenever you get the chance!**

 **Also, I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. And trust me, you'll love it.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend! Bye-bye now!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Of Midnight Snacks and Moonlight Howls**

 **(Ciel POV)**

"What?! No way!" I told him.

"Yes way." replied my big brother.

"How is Genji better than ninety percent of the Overwatch members?! Both old and new?!"

"Cause he can easily dispatch them all. The only sort of two exceptions really are Symmetra and Zarya since their main attacks are beam attacks, which he can't deflect. I only say sort of because at a distance, he can easily handle everyone, even Widowmaker. Plus Genji's a cool dude to hang out and spar with."

"You only say that because he's a cyborg ninja."

"That and he's just awesome overall."

"Really? That's what you're going with?"

"Yup."

So disappointed… My older brother could make any decent argument out of anything. He could literally just pull something out of his butt in just a second and use it against you, and that can easily be taken out of context.

Sorry not sorry.

Point is, when he tries, arguing with him is impossible. Unless you're Foxy. He doesn't argue with her period. How does she do that?!

But when he makes arguements like "Because I said so", you can't help but feel like "What the heck bro?! That's it?!". Which is how I feel like at the moment.

Man… He gets to go to all the cool places without us… Apparently he went to this World where there were this band of Heroes called Overwatch. Filled with all sorts of men, and women, who could totally kick ass. I was just asking about who's probably the best out of all of them. And of course, he goes with the cyborg ninja. Probably because my brother was sort of a ninja back then. I say sort of because in his younger days, he basically was.

"So besides Metal Gear Ninja, who else did you think was awesome?" I asked him.

"Zenyatta. That guy was just as awesome as Genji. And Reinhardt, he was just a blast overall."

Okay, points for Reinhardt and Zenyatta. Respectable dudes to hang out with. I only know because big brother told us a few times of that World and how interesting it was.

"Well Leo, what about you? Who are your favorites from big brothers stories?"

"In all honesty, I would believe Strike Commander Morrison, Mr. Winston and Mr. McCree would have been interesting people to get to know."

"That's Soldier 76 to you..! Um...soldier!" said my older brother.

He can be funny at times. Right now? Not even.

"Right, of course." Leo said.

"What about you Foxy? Since you got to go with him, who did you like out of them?"

"Me? O-Oh… I would have to say Dr. Ziegler was nice to discus with and 'hang out' with. She also taught me how to better treat injured persons without usage of my Cleansing Flame, just in case. Now I'm able to perform numerous types of surgeries and procedures thanks to her tutelage."

Of course Mercy. Saw that one a mile away.

That reminds me, aren't Mercy and Genji a thing?

Oh. Oh!

Hehehehehe… Now I've got some more material to work with…

"What about you Ciel? Who would've you liked to meet?" asked my older brother.

"Hmmmm… I'd like to chill with and Zarya. Oh, maybe Bastion too. He seems like the kind of guy you'd like to laze around with all day."

"Bastion was interesting in his own way…" big brother said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay...so what about the worst World you've been to?" I asked him.

"I wouldn't say the worst, but I would say annoying more than anything. The lands of Lordran, Drangleic, and Lothric. God, those places were full to the brim with all sorts of nasties…"

"Don't forget about Yharnam, Master."

"Oh yeah… That place… Remember those stupid Brain Suckers?"

I looked to Foxy and saw her shiver a bit. But more importantly…

"Woah woah woah! Brain Suckers?! Are you serious?!" I asked enthusiastically.

"Those were the worst things I've ever come across of all time. Plus they're just downright nasty…"

"Agreed… I wish to never see those horrid creatures ever again…" Inuba said.

Wow. They really don't like those things…

"What makes them so bad? Or nasty?"

"They're these gangly looking things with no eyes in their head, and they have this tendril stuck at the top of their head that they use to suck out your brain once we get a hold of you. Thankfully, that didn't happen to us at all. But that didn't stop them from trying."

There's a lot of things my brother and Inuba have faced down together over the years they've known each other. Plenty of nasties, icky creatures, and hey, even the occasional Hellfire Romba with the Dark Entities they came across. But they always managed to come up on top.

His last battle? Not so much a win. His trial? Complete bullshit. Those flying monkeys up top do whatever the heck they want, and in the meantime, my brother's trying to not only save those turkeys from getting cooked, but was trying to do the right thing, which they completely failed to do. How is it fair that he's the one to get punished when was doing their job? It's just nonsense on another level.

You know how people say, "Oh, Angels! So bright! So pure! So holy and good!" Yeah, that's nonsense. I'll admit, not all of them are complete bastards, but the vast majority are. They're supposed to be people's shepherds and guides. Not their murderers and agenda pushing schemers.

Honestly, I'd trust a Dark Entity more than an Angel now. You know how you grow up thinking, "Oh, so and so is totally awesome and cool! They're just awesome and totally not evil!" Great, got that in mind? Now, imagine you just found they're not as cool and good you thought they were, that they're just pompous jerks that are selfish and greedy. Complete reality check, yeah?

"Oh. Would you look at that…"

I just shrugged off whatever I was thinking about and tuned in to what my big brother said, looking around to see what caught his fancy.

"What?! What is it?!"

A let out a loud gasp as we entered a small town. I could not believe one of them was out here…

A Panda Tree Diner!

"Bro! Let's stop there and get something to eat!"

"We haven't stopped in six hours now, so it might be a good chance for us to stretch our legs." Leo added.

"Alright alright, hold your horses…"

I watched big brother turn on the signal lights and start turning in towards the rundown parking lot outside of the diner. As quick as he turned, he just slipped right in to one of the parking spaces.

Heh, doesn't he know barely anyone drives cars these days? Like almost no one. Not even cops. He doesn't have to follow any road rules because there are barely any! But he insists.

You're probably thinking by now my big brother's a total goody-two-shoes and a stickler for rules, right? Wrong! He follows rules when he can and when he should. But trust me, if feels like it, the rulebook is just out the window! Or burned to ashes, whichever one he prefers.

"Alright! Food time!" I shouted. "What do you guys think you'll get?"

"Very likely the same thing you will." Leo replied.

"Same." said my big brother.

"As will I." said Foxy.

"Aw come on! Have some individuality!" I shouted.

"We have individuality. We just don't eat as often at fast food restaurants or restaurants in general like you do. So we rely on you to get us the best meal in that case." my big brother said.

If he puts it that way…

"Alright! So then, our meal for tonight will be orange chicken! Honey walnut shrimp! Steamed rice! Annnnnnnnnnnnd…fortune cookies!"

Fortune cookies are the best. But those little fortunes inside? I hate those. I can't eat the whole cookie in one go without having to crack it open and taking out those little fortunes. I mean, I can do that, it won't hurt me or anything, but I'd rather not do it. Eating paper sucks.

"Sounds good. We'll wait for you over there." said my big brother pointing to one of the seats.

"Okay then. Be there in just a minute."

The line was really short, so it'd be like two minutes. In fact, was already about to talk to the guy taking my order.

"Hiya. So, I'll have four portions of steamed rice, orange chicken and honey walnut shrimp. Oh, and make sure we get some fortune cookies to go in with all that."

"Anything else for you miss?"

"Ummmm… Oh, and four jumbo sized drinks. Raspberry ice tea please."

"Okay. Will that be all?"

"Yup."

"Alrighty, your order comes out to twenty lien."

"Cool cool."

I whipped out my black and white wallet and pulled out one lien card and set it down in front of the order taker person, who took it and out it in the register.

"We'll have your order ready in just a minute."

And so the wait began until the most epic of epic meals would come my way, the coolest and most powerful Huntress in history using patience as her key weapon in this Hunt…

"Man, people need to stop going out towards the fields at night…"

"Why?"

"Cause people keep disappearing, that's why."

"What, you thinking it's a Grimm?"

"It could be…"

"Dude, no normal Grimm is going to come within a radius of this place with all the Huntsmen and Huntresses we have passing through here every day. Relax."

Now this could be interesting…

"Yo, you two. You think there's a Grimm out there snagging peeps that walk by?" I asked the two guys at the extra toppings bar.

"He does. I don't." said the skeptic of the two as he finished getting what he needed and walked off.

"Lay it on me." I said.

"Well, people have been disappearing lately. A lot more than the usual."

"The usual?"

"Yeah. See, some people just up and leave at times. Mostly just to go to Vale or elsewhere. But that road leading out to Vale… We have guys patrolling the area at night. Sometimes farther than we should be reaching out during that time. We've found five bodies within the two days. All ripped to shreds."

Almost obviously a Grimm… But it could be anything else. You never know.

"So why the skepticism with your buddy?"

"Well, we've been getting report from other local villages where they found that bandits have been tearing up bodies, possibly get people panicked when they walk by so they can incite hysteria amongst the people."

"Right right… Negativity and all that…"

"Right. But...the way those bodies were torn up… I don't think it was bandits… And...it might or might not be a Grimm…"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well… Some of the wounds we saw… They were too clean. Too precise. It's like a razor wire tore through them…"

Razor wire..? Nah… Not a Lasher. There's no bodies of water around here except near the Kitsukami estate. And that was six hours behind us. Maybe it's something else we haven't seen…

"Cool. We'll look into it later."

"W-We? Are you a Huntress?"

"Nope. But totally tooting my own horn here, I think we're better than veteran Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"But-"

"Relax. We got this."

I saw the order man bring me a tray of all four orders and grabbed, taking it towards my brothers and our Foxy friend.

"Nice… I could smell that a mile away." my big brother said as I set the tray down.

They each took their boxes and began digging in with the chopsticks that came with our meal. Looks as though they liked it. Well, almost all of them. Foxy and Leo seemed to be liking it. But when I looked to my brother Dante… Well… He kinda looked a bit lost. Like he was looking for something.

"So, we might have a bit of a problem."

"Problem?"

"Yeah, towards the nighttime time. Some dudes were talking about people disappearing on the road to Vale."

"And?"

"And...the main consensus is that it's bandits trying to scare people."

"Look at you using big words."

"Shut up." I said reaching over the table and bopping my older brother on the forehead.

"Here's the deal. One guy is going out on a limb and thinks it's a Grimm. Well, maybe something else besides a Grimm or bandit."

"And this is along the way to Vale."

"Yup. I'm thinking we take a stop near the hot zone when it gets dark out and we take a look around. We take care of the nasty that's hiding there, and poof, we're back on the yellow brick road to Beacon."

"Sounds reasonable. We'll leave in about an hour. It'll get darker then, and we'll have had time to take a look around the place before we head out."

"Sweet."

Whatever this thing was going to be, it doesn't change the fact it's gonna get cooked by us. Not like literally cooked, unless you're Foxy, but as in deaded with extreme prejudice. Catch my drift? Good, hopefully you can keep up.

* * *

The last of my summoned Aura Swords pierced through the flesh of the final pack members of the group of Beowolves. Thanks to Ciel, we were able to park the car, but also put it into a pocket dimension so it wouldn't get damaged.

"Aw come on, you took them all for yourself!" said Ciel.

"Don't worry. If those guys you talked to were right, whatever is behind the disappearances is going to be a team effort. See? Problem solved." I said.

"Yeah yeah…"

I looked up to see daylight had finally drawn its last breath for the day as it now slumbered, night taking its place as darkness swept over the land. The road was barely visible anymore, let alone the forestry on both sides of the road.

Let's fix that.

I closed my eyes and reopened them as the world became a sort of greyscale from my view. The only exception was that all corners and edges in the world now glowed white, making it even easier to see things around me.

"Master?"

I felt Inuba tugging on the sleeve of my light grey jacket hoodie, forcing me to look to my right. She stood a head shorter than I did, so I had to look down. It was in the reflection of her shining crimson eyes that I saw my own eyes. Black sclerae and glowing white irises. My Shadow Eyes. At the time, I was more concerned with own eyes, but admittingly, I couldn't help but stare deep within her own eyes, like I was searching for something.

"M-Master..?"

And yet again I was staring too long. I quickly turned my head forwards.

"Yes?"

"The wind has been picking up. Comparing that to the weather reports, there shouldn't be any wind tonight. That and...I can hear steps approaching us…"

Wind…

Wind!

Our heads turned towards an incoming blast of wind as we both leapt far to the right to avoid the burst. Ciel and Leo joined us on our part of the road as all four of us took a good look as to what almost hit us.

Normally, at a first glance you'd think it's just a simple wolf. Not a Beowolf kind of wolf. Just a normal wolf with black fur. Wrong.

This "wolf" was as large as five of my cars stacked upon each other. It's back was covered with numerous, white bone spikes and it's belly and head plated with the same bone like substance and red markings that gave the Grimm their distinguishable features. It paws were equally plated in bone and claws sharp like jagged razors. The back of its hind legs also had some of this bone like armor, only the back of the hind legs had some sorts of large protrusions that looked like curved blades.

Now I remember what this thing was. A Dykoa. And if I recall, this thing uses…

It loud out a loud howl under the moonlight as wind rushed around it and pushed outwards towards us.

Wind. The only five things that could make clean cuts like that, magic wise, are fire, high pressure water, lightning, wind, Light and Dark. But for more logical reasons, I narrowed it down to water and wind. Damn. So close.

"So what's the plan here?" asked Ciel.

"Leo, keep circling this thing and fire off shots at it. Make sure you shoot enough shots to set up just in case."

"Understood."

"Ciel?"

"Yeah yeah, in and out. Got it."

"Inuba, you and I are going to put the pressure on this guy. Ready?"

I saw her summon her pure white katana with black trimming and unsheath it with a small burst of white flame as she lowered her weapon to her side.

"Ready."

* * *

Dante and Inuba were the first two to move forward towards the Dykoa, slashing from the right and left sides as they moved past the giant wolf. Their strikes only hit the shield of wind it focused to its legs to prevent itself from injury. However, it's focus was entirely on them, unaware of the rapidly approaching Ciel who had left a large upward cut across the creature's face as she flew by it.

Large beams of white and black Aura soon flew towards the creature, who had raised a dome of wind around itself to defend. The special bullets hidden within the beams did not make it all the way to wolf, but the Aura beams slipped right through and made impact with the Grimm's body, leaving two large burning holes in its armored side as it leapt back and away from Leo and the others.

As it skidded to a halt on the road, the Dykoa leaped backwards into the air and let out a large roar, unleashing a massive gust of spherical wind that headed towards the duo. Inuba quickly raised up her sword with both hands and slashed towards the incoming wind sphere, unleashing an arcing wave of white flame that crashed into the sphere, fire and wind quickly canceling the other with a strong shockwave.

The wolf landed in the ground and began rapidly sprinting in a circle around Dante and Inuba. It was about ready to pounce for Dante, but Ciel had appeared immediately in front of the creature and knocked its legs out from under it midair, causing it to hit ground hard with its back. Dante and Inuba had leapt up above it and moved to stab the Grimm in its belly, their blades nearly metting their mark until it used an outwards spanning dome of wind to push them back.

Leo appeared above in the air in a streak of white and black Aura, twirling his handcannons around his index fingers three times before rapidly firing off twenty four shots from his guns. Streams of black and white Aura rained down from above the wolf as it darted and weaved between the shots, only to be dive kicked in the face by Dante as Inuba quickly flipped her katana backhand style and slashed at its hind leg. Her blade was blocked momentarily by the bone protrusion, but with a quick burst of her white flame that now coated her katana, Inuba let out a loud yell and left a deep slash on its leg.

Using its tail, the Dykoa whipped it at Inuba to push her back a considerable distance and opened its maw wide to take a bit at Dante. The young immortal raised up his sword as the creature bit down on his weapon, shaking its head about violently to try and disarm the teen of his weapon Dante kept his grip on his Longsword, using his left hand to repeatedly bash the wolf in its face until finally he landed a punch to its eye, making it roar loudly in pain as it leapt back. The Dykoa then opened up its mouth and began rapid firing numerous wind spehere at Dante. He blocked the sphere, but it was enough to blast him off of his feet and away from the creature.

It spun around and tired to take a bite at Ciel, but when it did so, she had already vanished. Inuba stood a few feet away from where the Dykoa landed and waited, raising her katana up defensively. The Dykoa leapt backwards then dashed forwards at lighting fast speed towards the kitsune with the wind at its back, maw wide open to devour her.

As soon as it bit, Inuba had turned into white flame. Before the Dykoa realized this was not the real Inuba, it had been too late. The white flames grew and expanded until they became an explosive burst that consumed the whole Grimm in a brilliant explosion of white fire that reached high into the night sky.

The Dykoa tumbled out of the column of fire, staggering upwards only to be brought down again after Ciel dashed by with her skeletal like scythe and slashed out its front right leg, while Inuba dashed by and took out the front left. Four beams of white and black Aura shot into its back legs, rendering it completely immobile.

But it was not entirely defenseless.

It unleashed another dome of wind to push away the trio, the Dykoa struggling to stand back up. It soon heard Dante's loud roar, weakly looking above to only see the point of the immortals Longsword only centimeters away from its forehead as it opened its mouth to attempt to unleash another blast of wind. But it was too late. The young immortals Longsword had pierced its skull directly, entering deeply from its forehead. It's mouth twitched slightly as it let out a low growl, then collapsed onto the floor.

* * *

I took my Longsword out of the Dykoa's forehead and took a step back before stepping in close to the side of its head. With a quick motion, I raised up my Longsword and cleaved off the Grimm's, lashing my sword to my side to clean off the black blood completely.

Most would think of my actions as un-needed aggression towards the Grimm. I say it's just being cautious. I did see a Huntsmen one time getting nabbed right after he thought he killed an Ursa. The thing just sprang back up and took his head. Afterwards, I took the Ursa's head.

"Glad that's over with…" I said with a sigh.

"Oh yeah! We kicked that things butt!" said Ciel as she slapped Leo's back, making him stagger forwards a bit.

"You alright?" I asked turning to Inuba

"I'm fine, Master. No injuries for me… Heh heh…"

"You almost seem depresssed about it."

"W-What?! No..! I, um…"

All I heard was "special procedure" from Ciel until Leo covered her mouth with his hand. Whatever was going on, Inuba seemed to be in on the joke since she was blushing furiously and holding the sides of her head with both hands.

I heard the corpse behind me shift suddenly, looking past Inuba to see the Dykoa's body bulge and turn into wind that blasted outwards towards us. It was harmless, but fairly strong. Unfortunately for Inuba, I caught a glance of something else as the strong wind rushed by and...well...forced up her skirt…

Again, staring too long.

She glanced at me as soon as I quickly turned my head away from her, not realizing her situation until she saw how red my face was. From the corner of my eye, I saw that her face soon became red as she quickly grabbed the front and back hem of her skirt and kept them down as the wind rushed by and slowly died down, her fox ears folding against her head in embarrassment. It was clear that she knew that I saw. Not that I was trying to do so or anything. It just...happened.

She didn't need to ask if I saw or not. A, she knew I saw and didn't need to ask. And B, if she did ask, I would deny it.

"C-Ciel, can you bring the car back now?"

"Yep! Presto, changeo!" she said pushing her hands forward.

Nothing happened. For a second, I did expect something to happen. But nope. Nothing.

"Just kidding with ya."

All it took was for her to snap her fingers as a portal of black and white Aura opened up on the road and traveled backwards, releasing our car from the pocket dimension Ciel placed it in.

"People traveling along these roads can rest easy now that the Dykoa has been dealt with." Leo mentioned as he opened the left back door and sat in the backseat.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean they won't run into Grimm every now and then. They still need to be careful and not be dumb."

True enough. But still…a Dykoa? What's a Dremoha Class Grimm doing all the way out here? Near a populated area too…

Dremoha's are the tiers above Alpha Grimm. Then, you have Omega Class Grimm, the most powerful types of Grimm to ever exist. Many times the largest too. Although an Omega hasn't been seen for at least a century or so from what records detail. The important factor here is that usually Dremoha and Omegas lie dormant most of the time unless disturbed. Although Dremoha are more active, they usually stay away from populated areas unless they insticvely know a human controlled territory is weak. Then they'll attack, regardless of a build up of negativity. That town was a sort of hotspot for Huntsmen and Huntresses to pass through. But this time around, there were only about four of them in town. The Dykoa was acting confident…

It's confidence would be justified. If it attacked that town behind us, it would have destroyed the entire place and would have killed the majority of people there. And it would have walked away with little to no injuries.

Too bad for it…

"Hellooooooooo! It's like 3 am and we still have like four hours to go! Hurry up big brother! Or I'm stealing your ride and skedaddling!"

"Not a chance Ciel."

"Is something troubling you, Master?"

"Not necessarily… Just thinking it's a bit strange that a Dykoa is all the way out here. Other than that, nothing else is on my mind really."

Except that what happened a minute or so is still fresh in my mind. My damn photographic memory will never let me forget now…

"Master?"

"We, uh, should get going. The opening ceremony is at 8am, but I'd like to get there by seven just in case."

"Of course."

I opened the door for Inuba on the passenger side as she thanked me with a bow before sitting down and closing the door herself. After a quick walk to the other side, I got into the driver's seat and pressed the ignition button as the car quietly started.

"Seatbelt?" I said turning to see if everyone had their belts on.

"Yes."

"Yup."

"Already done."

Good. We didn't need seat belts technically, but it's good to practice safety. You never know.

With that, I shifted the gears into S and began driving down the old road once again after I turned on the headlights, which shined a clear white light down the night road.

* * *

"You know, you never said what model car this was. They don't really sell cars in Remnant. If anything, they're a rarity."

"This car came from Primordial, my world. It's the Cadillac Ciel 2017 model with a few of my friend Ross' modifications to the car."

"Wait wait wait! Cadillac Ciel?! Are you freaking serious?! It has my name?!"

"Yep."

"I totally have rights to drive this car now! Not like now now, but in the future! When I get my license! Or when I take it out without you looking!"

"Do that and I will never buy you chocolate covered strawberries or strawberry PopTarts ever again!"

"Le gasp! You fiend!"

"I should be calling you that if you were planning to go out in the car without my permission. Or a license. Relax, I'll start giving you driving lessons after initiation. And after that, you can go test for a license. Deal?"

"Seal!"

"I'm being serious."

"So am I!"

"Ciel-"

"Relax, I got it already."

"Good."

I saw Ciel eye the the holographic console and gasp as she reached forward and slid her finger up on the dispatch to turn up the volume. Nothing was playing.

"What are you-?"

I looked to the console and saw the song that was supposed to be playing and recognized it. Totally forgot this song has a slow startup.

 **(Lay Your Hands on Me - Boom Boom Satellites)**

I looked in the rear view mirror and saw Ciel bring up her hands before dropping them back down in tune with the song, constantly moving them up and down as if she were playing an electric keyboard until she began singing the lyrics of the song.

"Lay your hands on me, while I'm bleeding dry

Break on through blue skies, I'll take you higher!"

I couldn't resist. It was too good for me not to sing to along with her.

"Caught up in circles

All dreams and bright lights!"

Unexpectedly, Leo joined in as well soon after I did.

"Wait I'm here always, brighter than sunshine!"

Inuba was the last of our group to jump in along the three of us.

"I fly

Fly out

Fly out to your heart

Fly out

Fly out!

Lay your hands on me

Stay close by my side

Drive me so crazy

Moonlight and star shine!"

Then the song dropped into high pitched warble that slowly built up to be louder and louder alongside a keyboard tune, all the way until the original tune of the song resumed without lyrics for a few moments.

"Faded into the setting sun

I'll see you again, I'll carry on

Feeling like I'm floating leaves in the fleeting sky

you can sing that song

Let it go!

Move on!

Let's go way out!

Spaced out!

Spaced out!

Lay your hands on me stay close to my eyes

Drive me so crazy wake up in your arms!"

We all threw our hands up in the air after the final lyric. Everyone kept their hands up for a few seconds, except for me, since I only had them up for a second since I was driving, and brought them down as the final segment of the tune slowly faded out.

"Man… Been a while since I heard that song on the radio." I said.

It was a good song. And I liked it a lot.

"Totally! Luckily I bought it and downloaded it!"

"Then why use the radio?" I asked.

"I forgot."

Of course…

I looked towards the distance and saw the sun beginning to rise, checking to see it was six in the morning. Which meant Vale was less than an hour away. In fact, from where we were, oh so slowly the city of Vale crept into my sight.

"Woah… Man, I never get tired of seeing Vale from the distance!" said Ciel leaning forward a bit more.

"It is a rather impressive city. Though compared to Vale, I do believe Beacon Academy will be a far more attractive sight." said Leo.

"Have you ever seen this Beacon Academy, Master?"

"Of all the times I've been to Vale, never. I've heard of it whenever passing people on the streets. Other than that, no real knowledge of the place whatsoever." I replied.

The city of Vale was in our full view now despite us being so far away. The sun had awoken just a bit more and began shining its light on the city as we drove down the road, surrounded by lush, green grass, and very tall trees that reached high up into the sky. They looked as though they have long stood where they were, as if they were silent, monolithic sentinels watching over the road in the thousands.

But they would never move. Unless they were secretly Ents, which would be slightly terrifying. I honestly wouldn't doubt it if someone told me this was the case. Who knows what kind of magic would be hiding in the outer road-forests of Vale... Who knows what kind of nonsense we'll encounter at Beacon…

Though I was hopeful. So were Inuba, Ciel and Leo. The short-run of our conversation with Ozpin was this.

"Bigger and better things. Come join us."

That was yet to be seen.

* * *

 **I always did like the opening of Kiznaiver. And the opening song. Which reminds me, it was a pretty good series, so watch it when you can.**

 **But yeah, what good roadtrip goes on without some good music along the way? Trust me, in my experience, its always good to have songs to listen to that you like.**

 **Now with the path to Beacon clear, our group of four head on to become initiated and on their way to become Huntsmen and Huntresses. Exciting, yes?**

 **So with that...**

 **That's pretty much it. Go check out my other story, Hero of Remnant: Veil of the Aether whenever you get the chance!**

 **Also, I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. And trust me, you'll love it.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend! Bye-bye now!**


	5. Chapter 5

Of Sleep Overs and Chess Pieces

Getting into Vale was simple considering I had proper identification profiles made for the four of us. It was necessary for travel in between kingdoms, that way not anyone could just simply walk in and cause trouble. Not that we'd cause trouble intentionally. If anything, we'd be on our best behavior. Otherwise, Ciel and Leo would be in a corner, sitting on their hands for a very very long time. More Ciel than Leo, but you never know with those.

Just at a glance, you'd think Leo is docile and almost harmless. Boy how much I'd laugh if someone actually thought that. Despite how well-mannered he is, he has his devious side time to time. Ironically, it goes hand in hand with Ciel's always active deviance. She's a prankster that one… And whenever you'd try to catch her, it would be like trying to chase the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. Actually, that's not too far off. She practically does disappear before you even have a chance to realize what happened. Would that make her more of a Schrödinger cat then? Hmmmm… Questions that need answering…

Vale looked like your average city really. Tall buildings, shops at around every corner you turned, people walking the streets, and of course...traffic. It wasn't so bad...but it wasn't entirely good either. We still had about an hour to go until we needed to be at Beacon. That, and I had to take a special route that lead towards Beacon as instructed from an email from Ozpin. He also gave me the access privelages to enter inside. Just scan and go.

"So what's the deal when we get there? Are we just gonna be thrown straight into the swimming pool and be told 'Swim!', or do we get to chill out for the day?" asked Ciel.

"I do think we'll be resting for the day after the opening ceremony. It'll allow us time to explore the local faculties around campus before intiation to at least have some sense of familiarity." responded Leo.

"Considering we'll only be arriving within twenty to thirty minutes until the opening ceremony, we won't have time to do so beforehand. It'd be rude if we were late and missed everything Headmaster Ozpin had to say."

"You know, I could just pause time and unfreeze you guys so we can explore the school in intervals." Ciel added as she placed both hands behind the back of her head and elated back into the car seat.

"Nah, too much effort on your part. We'll do it the right way after the opening ceremony and take a good look at things. Besides, if we do it your way we'd have to rush since you can keep time paused for a minute total at a time before resuming it." I told Ciel as the light finally turned green.

"Yeah… I guess we'll do it the normal way."

Our vehicle moved ahead and I activated the turn signal to change lanes, that way I could move ahead of the car in front of me since I needed to make a right turn soon. When I did make that right turn, I saw it there resting in the distance.

Beacon Academy. One of the best schools in Remnant that trains top Huntsmen and Huntresses. It was...different from what I originally expected. Usually, one wouldn't be able to see it in all of its glory from where we were. But my eyes were special and could see very far, the same for Inuba and my siblings.

It didn't have the appearance of a school like you'd expect. In fact, it resembled a massive spanning castle more or less. It's most prominent feature was the massive tower seemingly at the center of the castle-like academy.

"Woahho! Dude! We get to go to school in a freaking castle! This is awesome!" screamed Ciel standing up slightly, despite being bound by the seatbelt.

The hardtop was already down, so she was able to stand and take in the sight more.

"Very impressive architecture…" said Leo, almost ready to stand up as well as we got closer.

Eventually, we reached a viewing area, seeing how Beacon stood on massive cliff side that overlooked all of Vale and even beyond. We saw a rest area with viewing telescopes nearby, as well as a massive body of water that spanned for miles on end, separating Vale from the cliff side Beacon was perched on.

"Woah… Okay, awesome looking castle for a school, and a totally freaking neat view!" said Ciel.

I took quick look around to see that entrance Ozpin was talking about. It should be just about… There.

I drove further down the street and soon took another right and drove up a pathway that lead towards the furthest left. For about five minutes, we drove down a dimly lit tunnel until we reached a massive closed door.

"Well...poop. Now what?" asked Ciel.

"Now we reenact keyboard cat." I told her as I shifted the gear into "park" and leaned over towards a console on my left.

"Uh, what?"

"Brother has the access code for this door."

"Oh! So that's why-! Keyboard cat and… Got it."

The code was short and simple, and possibly had some relation to Ozpin due to the spelling and numbers involved. Interesting…

The holographic display I inputed the code in flashed white a few times before deactivating, the doors quickly opening to allows to continue our path towards Beacon.

We soon found ourselves driving down a path that had been carved out from the center of the left cliffside that lead up towards Beacon Academy. The path zig-zagged up the central cliff face and continued upwards through an interconnecting tunnel, and when we got out of the tunnel, the four of us could see the docks at the bottom, which branched off into the water of the massive lake Beacon was positioned above. When we looked further, we could see air-docks up on the cliff itself closer to the school, which was where we were heading.

Not all that bad… Fifteen minutes to get from Vale to Beacon and vice versa by car? I can deal with that.

"It seems as though we have about thirty minutes until the opening ceremony." said Inuba as she looked at the clock on the central holographic console.

"Looks like it…" I replied.

"What shall we do with our belongings?"

Good question…

"We should just take the bag with our clothes. We can leave the rest in the car until after initiation. Which is also when we get our rooms."

"I see…"

"What? Was there something else you wanted to bring in with you now from our stuff?"

"Oh, n-no… It's not important right now…"

I couldn't help but feel like it was. A problem Inuba has is that she has a tendency to think that she's a bother at times when really, she never is. She just needs to be more forward and assertive about her feelings, needs, and wants.

"You know, if there is something you want to get from our stuff, you can go get it once we park. It really isn't a problem."

"But...we'd be wasting time and-"

"Relax. Get whatever it is you need once we stop. It won't be any trouble at all."

"A-Are you sure? I mean…"

"It's fine, Inuba." I reaffirmed.

"You know Foxy, you should be more forward about your wants and desires…" said Ciel as she leaned in towards Inuba.

I know right?! I just thought exactly that!

But for my long time partner, Ciel's words held some sort of other connotation than what I knew of considering her face was bright red. And that I could feel my younger sister's wide grin.

"I agree. 'Things' would be MUCH easier if you were forward about what it is you want and desire. There's nothing wrong with it." said Leo.

See? Even Leo agrees.

"Master, I… The truth is...well…"

"Ah, hold that thought. We're here."

I heard everyone let out an exasperated sigh, save Inuba who let out a silent groan of despair.

Must've been important… Well, we just reached the docking area. And guards were approaching us. Kinda needed to talk to them first so they'd let us through.

"What's your business here?" Asked me the guard as he approached our car.

"Uh, we're newly arriving Beacon initiates. We were instructed by professor Ozpin to head in through this way."

That's all I told him after I brought up the holographic display of my HoloScroll before flipping it towards the guard. He checked the credentials provided to me and gave us a nod.

"Alright then. We've prepared a storage unit to place your vehicle in when not in use. It has a fair amount of spacing inside, so you can also bring in tools and purchase other necessities to set it up even further for however long you stay here. Head down left this way and take the first right you see. Once you park inside, there'll be an elevator taking you to the school entrance near where the Main Avenue ends. After that, head inside the auditorium for the opening ceremony. You've got twenty minutes, so I suggest you move quickly."

"Right. Uh, thank you...Steve." I said checking his name tag.

I gave him a small wave before driving off towards the left leg me instructed me to. Apparently some students were walking by the area, likely to check out the place before the opening ceremony. Unsurprisingly, almost all of them gave awed stares at the four of us driving up.

"Hehehehehehe… They're all jelly of our totally sweet ride…"

"You mean my sweet ride, right?" I corrected Ciel.

"But you said-!"

"I know, I was just messing with you."

Even I got some deviance inside me.

After traveling down this pathway as others admired our "sweet ride", I took the first right I saw and continued driving down until I saw a storage unit door, which automatically opened when I approached. Thankfully it started opening when I was still a bit far away, since it allowed me to drive right in without having to stop. As soon as I was sure I pulled in all the way, I put the car in "park" and shut off the engine.

"Alright! Let's get this show on the road!" said Ciel unbuckling her seatbelt and hopping out.

"Yes, lets." said Leo getting out of his seat as well, Inuba and I doing the same a second later.

Ciel quickly pressed both hands atop the left hood door as it quickly popped open, revealing our clothes bags inside. She grabbed them all and tossed our respective bags to one another before closing the hood door.

"You guys go on ahead, we'll join you in a second."

"But brother, we only have fifteen minutes. We should-"

"I know that. Don't worry. Besides, it'll be easier to find you guys since you'll be there already. So go on, we'll catch up."

"Why-?"

Leo was smacked across his back by Ciel.

"Dude, are you brain dead or something?" whispered Ciel as she slightly nodded her head towards us.

"What are you-? Oh. I see. Very well, we'll see you shortly then." he said giving us a wave before he entered inside the elevator doors.

What was that about?

"Right, so you wanted to get something else?"

"Master, maybe we should just go. There's only fifteen minutes left and-

"Nonsense! This'll take like a minute, so it's no problem."

"But-"

"I know it's important to you, whatever it is. So really, it isn't a big deal to spend some time trying to get it. So…" I said opening the right hood door, "get whatever it is you need. We're in no rush."

Inuba looked back and forth in between me and the hood door a few times until she finally walked forward and began sifting through the "pocket-dimenison chest" we put all of our other belongings in. I heard a quick rustling of a bag and took a quick glance to see that she quickly shoved something in her clothes bag before closing the chest. See? I was right. Swift as the wind.

"Got it?"

"Y-Yes…" she said clutching the bag tightly to her chest.

It wasn't my business to ask, but I was a bit curious considering she didn't want me to see whatever it was she grabbed out of the bag. But again, not my place to ask. Must be a personal item…

We walked inside the elevator doors that opened for us and stepped inside, the doors shutting behind us immediately afterwards as we began our ascent. Then, the worst thing imaginable happened…

"Oh god… They have elevator music? Really?"

I heard Inuba giggling beside me.

"Oh, so you think it's funny that we're in Hell for less than a minute?"

Again she giggled, only more audibly this time.

"I think we both know Hell isn't simply elevator music, Master."

"Yeah, you're right about that I suppose…"

We both laughed afterwards, mainly because we have been to Hell once and we knew what was there. Hell is just a term Humans coined. The actual name is the Dark World, a place where all Entities of the Dark reside in. Their home. Nice in some places, other times, not so nice.

The elevator came to a halt and the doors opened up. We both saw countless students filing in towards the central building on our right, all of them eager and ready to begin their first year at Beacon. Although it did seem there were some returning students in the mix…

"Well...ready to get started, partner?"

"Always, Master."

* * *

 **(Leonard POV)**

Why are there so many people in one place? And why do people have to stare at us so much? Is it that uncommon to have white hair? Actually, yes it is now that I think about it…

"Oh my god… Look at him! He's so cute!"

What?

"I know!"

"How old do you think he is?"

"Old enough…"

Despite the suggestive theme behind the last girl's comment, I was slightly flattered. Things would be going better though if the masses of them weren't constantly staring at me… I could tell thought that on the other hand, Ciel was definitely enjoying the attention, both male and female.

"She's so pretty..!"

"And thin!"

"Look at her legs! They look amazing!"

"Hehehehehe… First day and everyone's liking what they see… Alright..!" said Ciel.

"Clearly it's because of your shining personality."

"Hey! Are you making fun of me?"

"No, I was actually being serious for once. You seem...very approachable because you have this shine to you."

"Oh. Well alright I'm okay with that."

"Are you really that vain enough to seek the attention of people through looks alone?"

"What? No! Whenever I do something, it's usually for fun and only fun. Like now for instance. I mean, yeah, it's kinda cool to get complimented for my looks and all, but it's not all that important to me."

"Well well, a humble side of you I rarely see." I replied with a coy smile.

"Shut up." she said punching me in the shoulder. "You'd think big brother and Foxy would've caught up by now…"

"I agree. What could they be doing that's taking so long?"

I felt Ciel smack my shoulder to grab my attention and turned to see her making rather suggestive signs with her hand, particularly with her right index finger entering and exiting a loop she made with her left index finger and thumb.

"Could you be anymore suggestive?"

She paused for a moment and smirked at me, as if she had accepted a challenge. She pressed together the other fingers of her right hand and began moving them back and forth. Despite how suggestive it was, I couldn't help but smirk slightly.

"That's not funny." I said trying to be as serious as possible.

"Yeah it is! You're laughing too!" she said laughing.

"Good lord…" I managed to say as Ciel broke out laughing.

"But you know, it isn't entirely out of the question. The two of them? All alone in a secluded space? I'm telling you, one of these days she's gonna pounce him and 'claim him', and he's going to be so dumbfounded. Besides, she might have to. I mean, have you seen all the babes walking around? Holy cow!"

"I will admit, there are some rather...well endowed females walking around and about…"

"Females? Really dude?"

"What? Is it so wrong to try and speak properly?"

"Uh, kinda. Dude, you aren't some old man. Get with the times already!"

"Yes, the times being 'dank memes', cat videos and the such… I'm really impressed with the thought processes with the majority of people of our age. Truly."

"You're just jealous that you aren't funny."

"I am funny. I just don't do it always."

"Well you should try. You're already shy enough around new people."

"W-Well…"

"What? You didn't think I wouldn't notice you freaking out a bit? Relax already! Lighten up! You'll be fine. I bet you anything that soon enough, droves of chicks will be approaching you, wanting your love and your d-"

"That's quite enough. I think I can figure out the rest for myself."

Five or six at a time? Yes, please, come my way. Twenty or more? Please no.

"Can you really not talk to girls?"

"I can talk to girls Ciel. I'd rather not be crowded by them however."

"But if you think about it, being crowded by them is like the ultimate pillow."

"Right, because I need such a thing to happen to me."

"I'm telling you, it'll happen one day. Either they'll start chasing you and/or big brother, or they'll start fan clubs."

"You can't be serious! Girls actually do such things?!"

"Yeah man. Almost all the time. There's fan clubs of all kinds."

I can't believe what I'm hearing…

"In all seriousness, they could be doing it right now." affirmed Ciel.

"Doing what?" I asked.

"Are you kidding me? What did we just talk about?"

Oh… Oh.

"Oh!"

"You get it now?"

"Ciel-"

"What? There's like a fifty-fifty chance it's true."

…

She's not wrong. They could be having intercourse at the moment given how...passionate ms. Kitsukami is about our older brother. There have been instances, both where we've seen and what we've heard of, where she was very close to 'pouncing' him. In all honesty, she should just get it over with and do so. It's not like brother would resist her advances if she was THAT direct with him. I really do think brother shares the same feelings for her. Although...I wonder why he hasn't made advances towards her… Could it be something I'm not seeing? Brother does have a problem of thinking too much at times...

"You aren't wrong Ciel. It could be a possibility. However, I don't think it's the case this time."

"Why not?"

"Think about it. Ms. Kitsukami is extremely passionate about our brother. And it's highly likely that he too feels the same. Do you really think five minute would be enough for them?"

Ciel looked at me as if she were shocked beyond belief, like she never expected me to say something of the sort. Then she began laughing again.

"Oh man, this is why I like you as a brother Leo! You just manage to say something awesome when least expected."

"Um, thank you?"

"Don't mention it. Now, where are we supposed to go?"

"That way." I said pointing directly ahead of us.

"Cool. So, what do you-?"

Ciel's voice had drowned out as I focused my attention to my right. I saw something. More specifically, someone. Whoever they were, they had gone around the main entrance towards the back. I wonder why…

Next thing I knew, I found myself walking towards the direction of the stranger who went the same way. I didn't know why I did so, only that my feet carried me to the stranger. I don't think Ciel noticed I had left.

How odd… I can barely sense their Aura Signature. No matter how hard someone attempts to try and hide their Aura Signature, I can always detect them and the full measure of their Aura. However in this persons case...this isn't all of their Aura. This person is actually able to significantly hide a majority of their presence from me… How intriguing…

I kept following the faint presence, keeping my footsteps as quiet as possible. Whoever this person was, they could potentially be dangerous. I should at least investigate to make sure. After all, I am a new student here. It's my responsibility to try and ensure there isn't a trespasser lurking around the campus.

I slowly peeked my head around the corner to find...no one?

What on earth..?

I stepped out from my hiding place and quickly looked around.

I don't believe it… They actually slipped out of my Aura Sensing!

"Who are you?" spoke the soft voice of a girl.

I felt a blade touch the right side of my neck. Just by touch alone I could fell a small cut, and a tingling sensation from the wound. Poison? No...electricity. Given the strength, and factoring in my insensitivity to pain like my brother and Ciel, it must be lightning. Slight curve to the weapon… Scimitar? No, a katana. She's fast then.

"A slightly concerned student. I only managed to catch a glimpse of someone walking this way and grew...curious."

"Curiosity tends to get one in very troublesome situations." she replied.

"I agree. However…"

I pressed by right hand against the blade on my neck and held it in place, slowly turning around to face whoever she was.

"There are those who specialize in avoiding trouble. Or simply those that care not for the consequences."

It was then when I actually examined her that I was...mesmerized…

She wore tight, black high-heeled kneehigh boots that went slightly over the top of her knees, and black thigh-high stockings that reached just slightly above her thighs. In addition, she wore a tight black dress with a small chest window to her rather...ample chest. The hem of her dress sat directly above her stockings. Her dress also had tight sleeves that reached just above her elbows and spanned out into wide cuffs. She also wore white gloves that had black palm and finger fabric instead of white, like the majority of the her gloves.

I noticed that she stood as tall as I did, 5'9, but that was due to the four inch her heeled boots gave her, making her actual height 5'5.

The fabric of her dress covered her shoulders and reached upwards to cover only the base of her neck. She had chin length ash colored hair, almost grey, that was parted towards the left side of her face, almost like my brother. Those strands of hair that were parted to the left would have covered her left eye slightly if wasn't for the black hair clip keeping those strands up. Lastly, and probably the most interesting part of her apparel was the grey blindfold she wore with no free flowing strands. Was she blind? Or maybe…

"And you're the type who tends to avoid trouble? Or isn't concerned with consequences?" she asked me.

"Very rarely do I disregard consequences. But yes, I usually do tend to avoid trouble unless necessary."

Her weapon of choice apparently was a katana with a black colored blade that spanned four feet and was slightly curved. The oval shaped guard was colored white, as was the handle. At the butt of the handle was a short black ribbon of sorts, at least a foot long. It was a fine weapon.

I could feel her blade trying to dig deeper into my skin, and could still feel the small current of lighting coursing through said blade.

"There's no data on you whatsoever despite running a facial recognition. I'll ask you again, identify yourself."

I was right. Given that she just mentioned facial recognition, I know now that the blindfold wasn't simply a blindfold. It was a tactical HUD visor. If I'm not mistaken, there's been articles of certain military powers around Remnant donning blindfold visors as of late. Perfect against unsuspecting foes who don't realize data isn't being gathered on them.

"I am Leonard. An arriving first year student by invitation of Headmaster Ozpin himself. I arrived here with my older brother, my older sister, and my older brother's close friend. I really don't mean you any harm. I was simply...curious. I'd let go of your sword, but I'm afraid that I'm not sure you'd try to attack me again."

Not that it'd be a problem really. Dying isn't a simple matter concerning myself, my brother, and Ciel.

"Leonard… I suggest that you avoid sneaking up on others in the future. They may not be as lenient as I have been."

"Of course, but if you were lenient, you wouldn't have drawn your sword in the first place." I said letting go of her katana.

She lowered her weapon to her side, and with a small burst of white Aura that cloaked her entire blade, it vanished.

"Become too lenient and others will presume to take advantage of you again."

"True in some instances, but not all of them." I replied.

"You seem to be fairly optimistic."

"A fair amount." I said crossing my arms, "Are you a first year student as well?"

"What else would I be if not a first year student?" she responded with her soft, cool voice.

"I haven't the slightest idea. Though I assume you aren't the average student."

"I've made the same assumption in your case. The fact you stopped my blade with one hand while intense electrical currents ran through it… You are an anomaly to me…"

So I was right. It was currents of lightning running through her weapon. She seems to be the observational type as well. Just as she is examining me...I too am examining her…

N-Not in that sense..! I will admit, she is a fairly interesting individual.

Correction...immensely interesting…

"The opening ceremony begins in three minutes. I suggest you find your siblings and friend." spoke the girl as she turned around and began walking away.

"Did you come here by yourself?" I asked.

She stopped, turning her head back to me slightly.

"I did."

"Well… I hope find team members you will get along with really well, ms.?"

"Bailey. Bailey Lianna. You never mentioned your last name."

"Unfortunately, as far I know, I have no last name. I am simply Leonard."

It was hard to read any expression of hers without looking into her eyes. But I could tell by watching the corners of her soft lips that was expressing some form of sadness.

How kind of you ms. Lianna…

"Until next time, simply Leonard." she said before walking off.

I couldn't help grin like a fool at the moment after I heard that.

Oh yes. The opening ceremony. That seems importante for the most part.

I quickly walked back the way I came and followed the remaining students inside. Finding Ciel was not difficult, I still had a trace on her Aura Signature. Given the fact she was still talking, it seems as though she didn't notice I disappeared. At all.

Oh Ciel…

"I mean, you agree, right?" she said.

I have no idea of the context of what she was speaking of beforehand, but I will say yes either way.

"Of course."

"Meh… You're still a little bit uptight. Where's Foxy and big brother?"

"Right here."

We both spun around to see our brother and Inuba approaching us from the large crowd of students that filed in behind us.

"Took your sweet time!"

"Well sorry your royal highness..." said my brother.

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me!" said Ciel crossing her arms with a pout.

"You're right. I spoil you enough as is. I should probably stop doing that."

At that moment, Ciel legitimately looked as though her entire being of existence had shattered.

"Relax you little munchkin. I was just messing with you." he said rubbing the top of her head.

Looking towards Inuba, I could see she very well would have enjoyed a head rub as well. She's very fond of those as much as Ciel is.

I stood next to Ciel, who stood next to Inuba, my brother standing on the opposite side of our kitsune friend.

"So...you two get it on?" asked Ciel.

"Get it on..?"

It took Inuba a few moments to understand what Ciel had asked, but as soon as she realized, she blushed furiously and grabbed hold of her white fox tail to keep it from moving about.

Before anyone could say anything else, all eyes turned to the center stage as all the voices fell silent, watching as Headmaster Ozpin walked on stage along with his assistant. The majority of students watched and listened closely as the man began his speech aimed towards all of us first year students.

* * *

 **(Dante POV)**

Ozpin gave a rather...interesting speech. Wasted energy without purpose or direction? Very true. In most cases anyway. Still, the vast majority of students here had the potential to succeed. Like that little reaper in red that reminded me of little red riding hood a bit. Small? Yes. Cute? Yes. Deadly? Definitely yes. Apparently she was the one who stopped the robbery a few nights ago. Footage got leaked on to the net, and I have to say, she has a very impressive and interesting style of combat. Never have I seen anyone use a scythe like that. That's because her scythe was also a gun. A high impact sniper rifle to be more precise.

She is one who should not be messed with.

But another thing's been bugging me tonight. After Ozpin finished his speech...something happened. I...can't entirely explain what it was, but… A massive Aura Signature swept through the room with great force and intensity. Apparently I was the only one who felt it. Not even Leo with his superior sensing abilities could feel this presence. The only way I can describe it was like if I was feeling dread. True dread. It's looks as though the four of us aren't the only ones with an immensely powerful and vast Aura Supply. Whoever that crazy Aura Signature belonged to was not a nice person. At least, not entirely. It wasn't entirely full of malice or hate, but it was still there. It was exactly as I said, it was dread.

From what I could see sitting on my left side, everyone was sound asleep inside the auditorium. After we toured around campus and checked out the classrooms, we were all given sleeping bags for our night stay in the auditorium. If we passed initiation, we get our rooms. Those that didn't… Well…

My gaze wandered towards the reaper in red's group that was decently noisy some time ago. They were still noisy since one of them was snoring at the moment…

Did I mention I didn't sleep all too much? Like twenty minutes at best. I think I'm still feeling a bit anxious about that Aura Signature from earlier… You'd expect it would be from initiation, but that was hardly the case. Inuba, Ciel, Leo and myself would handle whatever they could throw at us. I knew we'd make it. So there was nothing to worry about on that end.

Another thing that's been on my mind every night ever since I came to Remnant… How did the moon get shattered the way it did? Granted it looked kinda cool...but it was still a bit worrying. Maybe it's always been like that? I mean...different world and all that compared to Primordial, my World.

Either way, I'm nowhere near wanting to sleep at this point. I might as well-

Huh… I can't move… It's like I'm being restrained or something… Seriously, what the heck?!

I turned my head right as far back as I could and was utterly shocked, partly because Inuba was so close to my face, and mainly because she was the reason I couldn't move. I felt her arms wrapped around mine, and her legs wrapped around my waist, firmly restrained from moving. The only thing I could move at the moment was my legs somewhat as I struggled to get free.

My god, how strong is she?!

Squirming about was not a good idea considering her chest was pressed against my back. Maybe I could slip out? No, not likely..! Am I stuck like this until morning?! Come on...how to get out…

That's it! Her tail that's brushing up against my leg!

I slowly managed to move my right arm back a bit and reached down as low as I could, trying to find Inuba's fox tail. If anything that was the method of my release.

Come on..! Where are you?! Aha!

I gently took hold of my partners fox tail and began rubbing it, despite it squirming around quite a bit as Inuba slightly giggled in her sleep. I hope no one else is awake right now...

Her hood on me was finally beginning to loosen up, but there were intervals where her hold became stronger.

And then it happened. Opportunity.

She let go for but a moment, freeing my upper torso. I quickly took my pillow and swapped it in place of me, then quickly, but gently pulled my legs through, freeing me entirely. I quickly stood up and draped the blanket over the bedroll I rested on previously. Apparently she rolled over to my side… I could only sigh before I smiled and began readjusting my black and white plaid pajamas, then readjusted my black sleeveless night-shirt and patted it down.

Everything Dark in my view was now highlighted slightly in grayscale color, where anything and everything with corners and edges glowed a faint white. I liked seeing in the Dark like this. It was...cool.

Well, since I was up, I may as well go to the recreation room. I spotted a pool table inside while we walked around. I love playing pool. Or billiards as some call them. It's a fun and relaxing game. And easy to win money in if people are making bets, especially since I learned a trick to sink all the pool balls in one shot.

As I walked down the halls, I noticed a lack of anyone patrolling the halls. Granted, this school was very secure thanks to the thousand of warriors and would be warriors that already resided within. So I guess there wasn't any need for patrolling really…

Five minutes or so later, I finally found the large double doors that lead to recreation room and pushed them open. I was expecting to play pool by myself, but someone else already sat inside. They sat at a table playing a game of chess with hardlight pieces.

Shiny.

"Ah, mr. Dante, I wasn't expecting you here at this hour."

My left foot you weren't…

Ozpin sat in on the game of chess, finishing a game against an AI controlled opponent. It looked as though he had won.

"And I wasn't expecting you to be here either, professor Ozpin."

"I do tend to be rather restless the night before initiation."

"For good reasons."

"Quite. Now, what may you be doing out of bed at this hour?"

"I don't sleep. Don't need it."

"How curious… Well, considering you're here and wide awake, would you join me for a game or two?" Ozpin said as he waved his hand towards the chess table.

Well, why not? It's not billiards, but hey, chess can be just as fun.

"I have time." I said taking a seat.

The hardlight pieces reset themselves on our respective sides, Ozpin having the white pieces, and me taking the grey colored pieces.

"Have you had time to explore the school today after the opening ceremony?" He asked me as we both took our turns rather quickly.

Going on the attack so soon? Ah, decoy strategy. Not only that, but you're trying to set up traps along the way. You're quite the sneaky person professor…

"We did."

"And? What did you, your siblings and your friend think?"

"I'd say everything looks great. So did everyone else. We all sort of enjoy the ancient yet modern feel it has to it, so it was only natural we'd like everything we see. Other than that, the other buildings and so forth were just as great."

At the rate we were going, this game was going to be over in five minutes or less. I have to hand it to Ozpin, he's pretty good.

"My turn then. How many people usually die during intiation?" I asked as we kept playing.

"None if we're lucky enough."

"And on an unlucky day?"

"One to five."

"Not that bad. Not to sound like a downer or anything, but I was expecting more than just five."

"Has your optimism already vanished?"

"No, just trying to be realistic for a moment or two."

"Are you worried for your siblings and your friend?"

"Not in the slightest. They're really strong and can take care of themselves. So I have nothing to worry about."

"Having strong confidence in your allies is very good mr. Dante. If I didn't know any better, I would say you have the makings of a leader."

"Meh… Not really…"

"You have doubts about your capabilities?"

"I'm just not too keen on the idea of being a leader unless it's absolutely necessary. If there's no one else that can do it, or if it's really needed and no one will step forward, sure, I'll take charge. Other than that, I try to avoid the role. I usually don't see the point of appointing a leader if a group is equal and already well structured. No one is above the other. They're all walking on the same ground. Although, I can also see a problem with that way of thinking as well. Whenever a critically important decision comes into play, who is it up to in order to make the final decision? Who's competent enough to make that decision? And who will shoulder the responsibility and potential consequences that arise form the decisions made? It's a tough job. And I don't envy anyone who has the job of a leader."

Checkmate huh? Looks like your traps paid off a bit. However…

"I can agree with you in most instances. But the fact remains undeniable that a leader is necessary and crucial in leading a group. Or a team. They must not only be powerful, but intelligent as well. They must be the guide of their people and be at the helm of conflict, leading them through to the end."

"If anything, in my opinion, the one crucial thing needed within a group and a team...is trust. Without it...everything starts to crumble before anything can begin."

I made the final move and leaned back in my chair, letting out a sigh. Quite the cunning Headmaster indeed…

"Looks like its Checkmate Headmaster Ozpin."

He stared at the board for a few moments, possibly trying to figure a way out. It was impossible. I had him completely cornered, unable to make another move unless he desired to loss even more pieces than he already has. He chuckled a bit and smiled as he too leaned back.

"Well played mr. Dante. In all my years of chess, I've never encountered an opponent, a student no less, who has been as round about and cunning as you. You didn't hesitate when you had a chance to take a piece off the board, especially with the risks involved. Well done."

"I've had practice."

"Apparently so… Well then mr. Dante, I'll leave the room to you then. We start tomorrow at ten in the morning."

"Right… See you tomorrow then…"

Ozpin had left his seat, taking his cane and his coffee mug with him. As soon as the doors closed behind him, I looked back to the board full of hardlight pieces and smiled. He could have tried to take me when he had me at checkmate previously. He had an opportunity to trap me and possibly win. It's highly likely he saw the other immediate threats surrounding him and decided to retreat. Afterall, I too laid down my own traps for him. Not only that, but he almost outplayed me. Twice.

I think I'm beginning to like this Headmaster far much more than I originally did. I mean, he was cool and all when we first met, but this game of chess we had was an eye opener of sorts.

I didn't know who exactly Ozpin is, or what he's done, but I can tell he's someone worthy of praise. And someone to take extreme caution of should you be unfortunate enough to be his enemy. He doesn't play around when facing an opponent, not entirely. Behind the tricks and traps he lays is someone of a cunning nature who can outsmart an enemy completely and destroy them before they even had a chance to realize what had just happened.

It's almost intimidating how cunning he is. In all honesty, if he wanted to legitimately deceive someone, he'd be able to keep them in the dark and that would be the end of it. Knowing this, I can't help but wonder if he would try to deceive me and the others in the future. Or...if he's already doing so…

No. I shouldn't be so suspicious of him unless I have a reason to. And honestly, I don't ever think I will have a reason to be wary of him. When we first met, and he asked me about joining Beacon, I could feel as though he was already placing his utmost trust in me. It's only fair that I give him my trust too.

I almost smiled, thinking even he'd be able to outsmart those flying monkeys in The Plane of Angels. He has the potential to do it, that much was certain. Imagining how furious those Angels would be made me smile even more.

A last thing that's been bugging me since earlier today. His speech that he gave to all of us at the opening ceremony… He seemed...strange. Strange as in he seems troubled by something. I wonder if it has something to do with the Grimm… Or maybe something else I don't know about. Either way, he'll say if there's trouble to be concerned about. I'm sure of it.

For now though, the billiards table was calling my name.

* * *

 **They made it. It looks as though someone has caught Leo's eye... Hmmm...**

 **Initiation comes next chapter, as well as an intro to two new characters joining us on our journey. One of them you'll know of if you've read Xera Stark's Rogue Huntsmen. The other, like Bailey, is someone totally new. And hey...you might even see Bailey and this other new character in Veil of the Aether... **

**Well, with that over, g** **o check out my other story, Hero of Remnant: Veil of the Aether whenever you get the chance!**

 **Also, I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. And trust me, you'll love it.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend! Bye-bye now!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Of Dragons and Landing Strategies**

«»

After breakfast, I decided to wait outside in the central courtyard to wait for Inuba, Ciel and Leo to get ready. Considering I was already up, I'd washed up and gotten dressed already. So now it was just a waiting game for the other three to be down before we headed to the cliffside for initiation.

Speaking of breakfast, it was...okay. I mean, pancakes, can't entirely go wrong with that. But they tasted...bland. Like they actually had almost no taste at all. Mysteriously enough, this has been a commonly recurring thing. Almost everything I eat has no taste. And just as mysteriously, when Inuba does make something for the four of us to eat, it's like I just ate a rainbow and a few stars. Whatever she makes tastes like the most amazing thing in the World. Ever. Which is why I only really ever eat when Inuba makes something. Other than that, I eat just to keep up appearances. If people see a guy who doesn't eat, they'll start asking questions. Questions I don't really feel like answering.

"Master? Are you ready to go?" asked Inuba as she stood next to me now.

I checked the laces of my black shoes with white soles, patted down my grey jeans with a black belt, and tugged on the sleeves of my black long-sleeved t-shirt.

"Ready and set."

I looked to Inuba and saw that she wore her normal attire as per usual. She was dressed in a white, sleeveless kimono that ended at her waist, that had black trimming, along with a sleeveless, black shirt made of some sort of nylon-spandex material that was skin tight, and very form fitting, underneath. I saw that she also wore skin tight black sleeves that reached to her elbows, the sleeves made of the same nylon-spandex material her undershirt was made of. Those same black sleeves were wrapped around her palm and backhand and banded around her middle fingers. Over the black sleeves, Inuba wore white, wide cuffed, detached sleeves with black trimming that reached over the center of her slender arms.

Going back to the kimono, I saw that it was held together by a black sash wrapped around her waist. She also wore a sort of black pleated skirt with white trimming near the hem of her skirt, which reached to the center of her thighs, along with white thigh high socks that had black bands at the ends that also stopped at the center of her thighs. For footwear, she wore simple white shoes with black soles and laces.

"H-How do I look, Master?"

"You look good." I said with a smile.

Just good?! More like fantastic..! But I couldn't say that… She'd probably think I'm weird or something if I said something like that…

I could've sworn I heard a swishing noise next to me, but as I soon as I turned towards Inuba, the swishing stopped. Huh, weird…

"Gah… What are those two up to?"

* * *

"Ciel, what are you doing?! We're going to be late!" said Leo as he walked.

He was already dressed and ready, wearing his usual attire of a white long-sleeved dress shirt, a thin fabric black jacket with white trim and an upturned collar and a hood he didn't currently have on, grey jeans and grey shoes.

Ciel was dressed as well, wearing her normal attire of a white sleeveless blouse, a black dress vest with two knee-reaching tails that fit her body snugly, leading down into a black pleated skirt. The vest's trim and interior were white as well, the piece of attire not reaching past her mid-thighs. Beneath all of that, she wore black knee high boots with white zippers on the outer side of the boots, and she had her shoulder length hair tied up into a ponytail, as per usual.

"Hold up...one more minute…"

"Ciel!"

"Done! Killed the boss, let's go!"

"Are your serious right now?! We're about to go to an initiation where we have to fight Grimm, and you're playing a videogame?!"

"Yup! Now shut up and let's go!"

* * *

She's probably playing Phantom Souls 3.

I let out a sigh and stood, interlocking my fingers and stretching them up towards the sky.

"Are you going to go find them, Master?"

"Looks like I have to… Huh?"

Someone stood a distance away. Staring at me. With their arms crossed. Staring at me.

Okay, I'm going the other way now.

"Wait!"

I stopped in my tracks as both Inuba and I both looked towards this new arrival that had been staring intensely at me. Like literally, I could feel her gaze upon me like the eye of Sauron.

This person had lightly tanned skin, and long, pale blonde messy hair that reached all the way down to her waist, a few strands of her hair messy hair resting in between her eyes. She had shining violet eyes, and black slit pupils, like that of a serpent. From what else I noticed, she was as tall as I was, about 5'10. And from what else I could see and manage to tell, this person had a neatly toned body.

Her choice of clothing was fairly interesting. She wore white tabi socks and black zōri sandals, while wearing a black, split-hakama and a white kosode similar to Inuba's kimono where it ended at the waist, only with a few differences. For one, this new persons kosode was only half a kosode, where only her entire left side was covered by the robe-like garment and was tied with a black cloth obi. Her entire right side was exposed, but thankfully, she also wore a budget sarashi, which was a long, winding strip of cloth, very likely made of thick cotton, that was wrapped tightly around her body, starting from entirely above her midriff and wrapping around the center of her rather ample bosom. She had to be Inuba's size… No, larger…

Stop stop. Not important right now.

Even with the budget sarashi, it still didn't cover enough of her chest, and in fact exposed it more, both below and above.

Then for the final part. What I assumed to be her weapons was a katana that was tucked away in her obi on the left side, paired with a wakizashi. Her katana's hilt had white hilt-wrapping, whereas the butt of the weapon had been covered with a silver colored metal cap. The guard was silver colored and rectangular in shape with an open frame much like a four-pane window. The blade length had to be at least three feet long. To top it all off, it was sheathed in a black wooden sheath. The wakizashi she possessed retained the same appearance as her katana, only the blade length was one foot long.

Looking back to her face, I had almost forgotten one little extra thing. She had two obsidian colored, smooth, long horns at least a foot long on the sides of her head that curved inwards towards her head before curving outwards slightly.

Horns and fangs? Eyes too? She had to be a Faunus of some sort.

Whoever this girl was, she had something she wanted from me, especially since she was grinning at me with a toothy grin.

Huh... She also had four small fangs… Two up and two down.

"Um… Hi?" I finally replied to her.

"You're a new student, yes?" she responded, her voice having a slightly low tone.

"Um, yeah. Was just about to go to initiation right now. Are you by chance a new student as well?"

"Indeed I am. My name is Musashi Ryūjinhonō, and I plan to be a student here, and become one of Beacon's Ultimates."

Musashi Ryūjinhonō… Huh… She must be a Dragon Faunus given her last name. Last I heard, Dragon Faunus are nearly nonexistent. There's only few of them that reach into the hundreds, almost a thousand.

"That's a pretty high goal you've set yourself. I hope it works out for you. In the meantime, we should go. Initiation and all that." I said turning to leave.

"Not yet!"

What now..?

"Tell me… Which one of the two of you is the strongest?" asked Musashi.

I stopped in my tracks as both my head and Inuba's perked up. Our gazes met momentarily, but I rolled my eyes and began to slowly turn around, noticing that other students began filing out of the building to head towards the cliffs.

"I guess that would be me." I responded.

"I see… Well then…what is your name?"

"I'm Dante. Just a person planning to become a student here."

"Dante… A good name… I'll remember it."

Musashi raised up her right hand and motioned her index finger back and forth, beckoning me to come closer.

"Come on. Take your best shot."

"What..?" was both my response and Inuba's at the same time.

"Isn't it obvious? I challenge you to a duel Dante! If I am going to become the strongest, I have to start by defeating those who are the strongest! Come on! Get your free hit in while you can!"

"No thanks."

"W-What?" she responded in a rather surprised tone.

"We've got initiation. That, and I'm not too keen on fighting girls or women. Bye." I said giving her a wave before walking towards Inuba.

"Fine then! If you won't make the first move…"

I turned my head to see her quickly go for her katana. Was she really going to fight me here?

"then I will!"

Musashi stopped before she even had the chance to draw her sword. The reason why was because I was currently close to her with the palm of my right hand firmly pressed against the butt of her katana. Her shocked gaze told me everything she was thinking at the moment. That, and the small tremors I felt.

Don't get me wrong, in no way do I think that Musashi is weak. In fact, I think she's actually very strong. Which is why I stopped her before she even drew her blade. I instinctively knew that if she drew her sword, the surrounding area around us, if we did actually fight, would've been destroyed. That, and the fight would have gone on for a while. But this tremoring I felt at the moment...it wasn't fear.

Looking at her again, I saw her beginning to grin at me. She was excited more than afraid of me.

"Look…" I began, noticing Musashi dropping her smile, "Now really isn't the best time. Neither is it the best place. If you really want, challenge me some other time."

"The chances of that happening later might be small...so...I'll take my chances now while I still ca-!"

"Yo, big brother! Hello?! Dude, where'd you go?!"

Ciel?

Huh? What the..?

As soon as Ciel spoke up, Musashi's eyes went wide and the girl herself jumped back from me. Seriously, what the heck?

"There you are! Dude, we've been looking all over for you!"

"Really now? We've been looking for him?" said Leo in a deadpan tone.

"Shhh!"

Before I had a chance to speak to Ciel, I turned my head around and found that Musashi had completely vanished. Gone. She seemed so keen on the idea of fighting me and wouldn't give it up. Maybe she finally felt our Aura Signatures and decided to split? Has to be it…

"What's going on here?" asked Ciel as she stepped up to Inuba and I.

"Uh, nothing. We just finished talking to a new student who was wondering how to get to the cliffside. So we told them. Yeah…"

"Huh? Wasn't there someone else here?"

"They literally ran off like just a bit before you got here."

"Oh. Well...alright."

"Can we go now? We've got ten minutes to reach the forest you know."

"Yeah yeah, I got it."

"Were you playing Phantom Souls 3?"

"W-What? No!"

I simply gave her a glance, and she sighed in defeat.

"Yes…"

"Nameless Prince gave you trouble?"

"Yep…"

I could only chuckle when I heard that, both the reason as to why we might be late and the fact my little sister was having trouble with such any easy boss. I'm crazy. Crazy enough to beat that same boss using only a flaming torch. Without taking damage. That kind of crazy.

"Eh, don't worry about it. If you want, I can just mozy on over to where you are so you can summon me later."

"Nah, I'll beat him myself. Like a true warrior and Phantom Souls player!"

"Heh, that's spirit." I said giving her a pat on the head, "Alright everyone, let's go have some fun."

* * *

We all stood there waiting for a while until Ozpin finally showed up. I tuned out most of what they were saying, since it wasn't important. That was until the first mention of teammates.

"Each of you will be given teammate." Glynda Goodwitch spoke, "Today."

Looks as though some people had complaints given the groaning… I figured it had something to do with first contact. Maybe the first person you make eye contact with?

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So, it is in your best interest if you paired with someone with whom you can work well." Ozpin spoke soon after.

I know that much. I wonder if I can do something to make sure Inuba's my partner… Maybe make an Aura Dagger to give to her and use my Embedded Shfit to teleport to her? Would that count as cheating?

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Oh. Well there you have it.

"What?!"

That was the response of one of our group of newbies with us, Ruby Rose. She legitimately looked as though her entire world had just shattered.

Ignoring the comments and briefly muttered complaints, Ozpin continued with his instructions.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path-"

As soon as he said the words "destory everything in your path", some random dressed like an edgelord cowboy stepped up to the cliff.

This guy was literally dressed like a modern cowboy. He wore a black cowboy hat tipped down to slightly cover his eyes while not restricting his sight, and the hat itself was worn and not as pristine as it could be; dusty looking, but still solid in shape. The rest of his clothes consisted of a lightweight black trench coat and a black v-neck undershirt. The coat's shoulders were sharp and gave him an intimidating edge, but the sharpness of the pristine cloth was subtle and barely present. He also wore a pair of black, slightly worn jeans that lead into black combat boots with slightly risen lengths to them, almost like cowboy boots without the accessories or the heel. The tails of his coat trailed down to a little past the back of his knees, the rest of it formfitting and displayed his body solidly and thinly. Beneath his hat was black, ear length, unkempt hair, and probably most interesting since I haven't seen in it in a while, lime green eyes.

I swear, if he has a six piece shooter, from today onward, he shall be dubbed as Edgelord McCree.

"Mister Ezdeil, where do you think you're going?" Ms. Goodwitch asked.

Ezdeil? Last name very likely. What was his first then? Wait..

"Walking." He finally replied in slow low, uncaring tone.

Oh shit... Is that the guy who-?

"You would be at a disadvantage, young man." Ozpin said, "These catapults launch you eighty meters into the forest if you do nothing. If you have a flight strategy, the wind will carry you much further than that. Do you not wish to use an advantage like that?"

"I don't need one."

Oh, well look at you. "I don't need one..." Wow! You're so cool! If you could hear inside my mind, you'd be able to hear rapid, sarcastic clapping.

"Mister Ezdeil, pleas-"

"Glynda, let him be." Ozpin held up his hand, "No student in the past has done what he's done just now. I believe we should let him go."

I bet you I can do what he's about to do. And get it done faster. Either way, all eyes are on you tough guy. Let's see what you got.

We all watched as he approached the ledge, and then, with quiet absolution of a brick spiraling in the air, he just walked off the edge of the cliff and made a plummeting descent.

Remember that feeling I felt yesterday? That feeling of absolute dread that made my stomach feel like it sank really low into a deep, black Abyss? That strong sense of dread? That was exactly what I felt when I assumed that Edgelord Ezdeil landed on both feet down below instead of going splat.

Great… So that intense Aura Signature belongs to him?

I let out a rather exhausted sigh and crossed my arms as I closed my eyes. It was now I realized that this was going to be a very long four years. Especially now that I know that Edgelord Ezdeil was responsible for the freakish Aura Signature. The High Council of Dante's in my mind decided Edgelord McCree was just a placeholder, considering we finally knew his name.

I'm just kidding, there's no such thing as the High Council of Dante's. Or is there?

Again, kidding.

Still though, I'm a bit worried about that guy. Despite that weird Aura Signature he gave off, he seems like the very unfriendly type. Like he'd try to erase your entire existence by poking you in the forehead with his index finger if you ever walked up to say hi. Or that he'd try to punch you. Either or.

Wait… How and why am I suddenly flying through the sky?

* * *

Well, this a problem. Ciel, you little rascal…

Thanks to Ciel crashing into me midair as part of her act as a premature Superman, she managed to crash into me midair and sent me spiraling further out into the forest than I would have wanted. I wanted to be close to Inuba as possible so that I'd have her as my partner, but it looks as though I'm going to have to work for it now.

Great, thanks Ciel!

I finally uncrossed my arms and spread them out in the air, transitioning my spiraling descent into a normal one where my feet were reoriented towards the ground. I summoned forth my Longsword that Kareina had given me, and grasped it tightly within my hand as I reared it behind me. My eyes were quickly scanning the forest floor below me in order to find a suitable place to land. And just within 3 seconds, I found a perfect spot.

As quick as I found a place to land, I soon straight-tossed my sword towards my intended mark and watched my sword fly and embed itself into the forest floor below. And like that, my body vanished within streaks of white and black Aura that instantly made its way to my sword down below. And within that immediate instant, I was kneeling on the floor, grasping my Longsword with my right hand.

Embedded Shifting. That's what that technique is called. By throwing my sword in a certain direction or to a certain location of my choosing, I can instantly teleport to it. This can be done in particular with any Aura Weapon I could fashion out of my Aura, a fancy trick I learned within the three months of arriving here. Embedded Shifting could also be done with any weapon that was last touched by me, allowing to teleport to it as well. And even better, range isn't limited. I could place a sword on one end of Remnant, be on the other end, and teleport to it in a second. And in the case I'm stuck in a dimension, I can pull myself out with a sword I set up before going into a dimension. It's useful and very versatile in combat.

I liked my other teleporting ability a lot more, my ShadowStep. I didn't have to throw a sword to teleport. I just did it and boom, I'm elsewhere. Still, Embedded Shifting is good for completely throwing off an enemy, so I can't really complain.

Speaking of which…

I quickly moved my sword to my back and blocked an incoming sword about ready to touch the right side of my neck. As soon as our blades clashed, I spun around and lashed outwards towards whoever just attacked me. They jumped back due to the amount of force I put into my swing and raised up their blade to defend against a possible counter attack. Not that I would, just saying she was being cautious. Though that strike wasn't malicious. It was...half-hearted? Playful? Something close between those two.

"So...you aren't him."

I'm not who?

"My apologies. I confused you for someone else."

"Someone else..?"

Wait…

"Just so I'm sure, which of the two did you meet?"

"Simply Leonard."

"Simply Leonard?"

Oh… She means Leo. Huh. How about that…

"You must be the older brother he mentioned."

"That I am."

I lowered my sword and it soon vanished in a burst of white and black Aura. Strangely enough, she did the same thing I did when I just put my weapon away. Well, something similar. Her weapon dematerialized into strands of white Aura and vanished.

"So...what's with attacking me?"

"Last time, Leonard allowed me to nearly strike him. Considering you both share a similar appearance, I assumed you were him and was expecting him to block, just as you did."

So you did this when you meet him? Um… Good for you Leo..?

"Although there are varying differences. Whereas your hair is more neatly kept, his is messier. There is also a height difference of an inch, and a difference in muscle mass, where you seem to be more muscular than he is."

How is she doing that?! Wait…that cloth wrapped around her eyes… Is she wearing a B-Series HUD Visor? Neat. Haven't seen one of those in person, but definitely heard of them. Superb at gathering data from both long and short distances on your targets of interest, an Augmented Reality sensor in order to enhance data gathering while also allowing the user to view targets through walls and identify potential threats, threat tracer sensors made specifically to track long distance attacks directly from the point of origin, tracking system for recent footpaths created… It even keeps track of the user's status.

For a thing that looks like a blindfold, it's probably the most advanced visibility and data gathering tech out there.

"It would seem there is no previous data entries on you either. Just who are you people..?" she asked me.

"We are travelers from a distant galaxy seeking the most scrumptious kind of Oreo cookie ice cream that we can find…"

If it weren't for that blindfold, I know I would have seen a very confused look on her face right now after the very silly answer I just gave her.

"Kidding. For the most part anyway." I replied, "Speaking of Leo, where you by chance looking for him?"

She didn't answer. Instead, her head jolted upwards slightly at the mention of me asking if she was looking for him. Considering Leo's probably the only one she's made an acquaintance with so far, it'd make sense she'd probably seek him out as a potential partner. Unfortunately…

"Knowing my sister, she's probably already found him by now. Sorry."

Mentioning that, I saw her bow her head slightly. Was she sad about hearing that?

"I see…"

Well...now what?

"Um...look, it doesn't seem like you were specifically looking for me or anything. So...considering we didn't make eye contact, I'm just gonna head that way." I said pointing in the direction of where I felt Inuba's Aura Signature.

From the looks of it, she's trying to make her way to me now as quick as possible… Thank goodness for that. My Aura Sensing is...well...garbage to say the least compared to Inuba and Leo. I have trouble getting a proper read sometimes unless it's a massive Signature Spike. Which is why I rely on Inuba and my little brother mostly.

"I didn't intend to make you think you would be a detrimental and ineffective ally, if that is why you are leaving. Your Aura Signature is very strong, and given you detected me quite easily, you are undoubtedly someone of great skill."

"I'm not leaving because you unintentionally insulted me or anything. I'm just not the right guy to be your partner. And like I said, we didn't make eye contact, remember?" I said touching the side of my head.

It seemed as though she finally figured out that I meant it was because of her blindfold we made no eye contact.

"I see… Very well then. I suppose I have to search for someone else who is capable of being my ally…"

I can already think of one other person. However...I can't imagine the two of them working together… Not peacefully at least. Bound to be conflict very likely. That or the ultimate arm wrestling contest. Either or.

Two minutes later, I found myself down a winding path of enormous trees and roots that had been growing out of the ground. It was impressive to see nature of this extent growing so vividly… I had only seen something like this in Primordial in one of the eastern continents that had impressive vegetation. Thanks to some technology on my World, we managed to reduce the size of deserts significantly and even regrow forests that once existed.

So much to do and so much to invent and create when countries aren't at war with each one another... They actually work together to build and create new and better things, not just for themselves, but for those around them as well. Despite wars not occurring in the streets or in different countries between humans, a war of a different kind was happening behind the scenes. One that was far too complex and far too difficult for humans to grasp or even attempt to manage.

Sooner or later, people were made aware. They were starting to believe and understand what had been lurking in the Dark for centuries, haunting their lives and their dreams. Instead of making an effort to eradicate them, humanity did their best simply to defend themselves. They left the fighting to our kind, that way they could continue on with their peaceful, daily lives, that way they could continue doing one of the many things they were good at. Creating.

Eventually, humanity became aware of the existence of other creatures besides those of the Dark. It took some time, but we managed to make peace rather quickly once people talked it out. Sooner or later, people began walking the streets alongside others not entirely like them, but not entirely different. First it was yōkai, the majority of them being long time protectors of humanity. Then, others began following suite.

Amazing what Angels could help accomplish...despite being complete bastards sometimes… Although reclusive compared to all the others that made themselves known, they did make sure to make it known that they were watching over humanity. Despite not being able to solve all their problems, Angels did attempt to defend them as best they could. If only they didn't have to watch over all the other problems in the other worlds...and use other people as scapegoats when convenient.

I'm still bitter about what happened to a degree. It wasn't right. Especially after all I did for them. Honestly now…

Ever since that time, I've let no one take advantage of me in that way. Nor will I allow anyone to do so ever again.

I heard a low toned growl behind me and slowly turned around to see a Beowolf slowly crawl towards me, mouth watering and jaws ready to snap at me. Foolish little creature…

I brought up my right hand up, palm facing upwards, towards the center of my body, and curled all of my fingers except for my index finger, which was pointed directly at the creature that slowly approached me, ready to pounce at any given minute. It leaned its body back, ready to lunge ate me to take a bite. It was completely unaware of what I had done.

As soon as it leapt towards me, I brought in my finger towards me, and watched as one of my white and black Aura Swords silently flew through the air and pierced through he back of the creature's head and out its mouth, pinning its remains to the forest floor. It's body twitched for a few more seconds until the red glow from its eyes vanished, its body doing the same soon after as black vapor began to dissipate into the sky.

It's strange really...the vapor almost looks as though it's going somewhere…

"Wahhhhhhhh!"

Huh?

I tired looking to my left above me, but was too late to do so considering someone had landed on top of me. It didn't hurt, but still felt a bit uncomfortable when that person crashed into me.

"Ow…"

Wait, is that-?

"Wha-?! Master?!"

Huh, guess it is. How about that..?

"I'm so sorry!" she said sitting atop me still, "I didn't mean to! I suddenly felt your Aura Signature flare up, became distracted, and tripped and-!"

"It's alright. Don't worry about it. Hey, at least it saved us the trouble of looking for one another, right?"

"R-Right…" she said as I saw her fox tail swishing about rather quickly.

For seemingly the longest time, we just stared at one another. Even though it was only for ten seconds, it felt like we'd been there like that for ten minutes.

"Um...not that I mind or anything...but we gotta get going. Initiation and the such? Kind of important…"

"O-Oh! R-Right! Sorry! I, um..! I'll just...remove myself! Yes!" She spoke frantically before quickly standing back up.

Inuba then quickly offered me her hand, which I gently grabbed hold of before she effortlessly pulled me up.

"Thank you."

"O-Of course…"

"So...any idea what we're actually supposed to do? Besides going through the forest."

"Not in the slightest… But...I did spot ruins on my way towards you, which was in the direction of where Headmaster Ozpin told us to go."

"Hmmm… Then that means he might be having us look for certain things in the forest... One thing's for certain, our objective definitely has to be at the ruins you just mentioned."

"Then we should go there immediately and not waste anymore time. The quicker we finish this task-"

"the more time we have to goof off later."

"I was going to mention that we relax and settle in, but yes, 'goofing off' seems just as pleasant."

"Or yeah, we could just get used to things around here."

"D-Did you have something else in mind..?"

"No, not really… Just...do whatever I guess whenever we finish up here."

"Then we should look for something to do after, yes?"

"Probably… But for now, let's focus on this and see what we can come up with later."

"Right."

I raised up my hand towards Inuba, who awkwardly stared at for a few moments.

"Um...high five..?"

"Oh! Yes! Sorry…" she said before high fiving me.

"Wonderful! Now, we can actually start!"

* * *

 **I'm kinda pressed for time here since I'm literally getting on airplane like right now to go back to college. Left for the spring break and all that, so, yeah...**

 **Sorry I didn't get this out yesterday, went to Disneyland with my friends and the such and didn't get home till like 10 pm, and was like super tired beyond anything for the first time in forever.**

 **In other news, holy mother of pancakes, Nier: Automata. My god did I have fun with that game. I'd say more, but I'm in the process of boarding, so can't really. But I will talk about on Veil of the Aether, so look for it there. Right.**

 **So with that,** **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created. ****Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. And trust me, you'll love it. **

**Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend! **

**Bye-bye now!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Of Grimm and Blazing Infernos**

«»

"We've been walking for some time now…" noted Inuba as she walked close to me.

We had been traveling through the Emerald Forest for some time now, meeting little resistance along the way. Well...to put it more bluntly, what I mean by little resistance is that there weren't all too powerful Grimm along the way that forced us to stop. Inuba and I actually took turns destroying packs that came along the way. I'd take three seconds to hack them down, and Inuba would just stick out her hand and roast them to a nice crisp. More like dusty ashes, but you get the idea.

"Well, we could run, but I don't think we have a specified time period to get this done. So we won't rush. Rushing leads to mistakes, so forth and so on." I told here rotating my hand around.

"I understand that much, but we could at least attempt to find your brother and sister. They're not all too far away from us."

"Are they moving towards us?"

"Considering I can feel Leonard's presence ahead of Ciel's, I would assume so."

"We'll let them come to us then. It'll be easier that way. And a bit quieter…"

Inuba giggled at my comment.

"Ciel isn't that noisy, Master."

"I know. I was just poking fun is all."

I turned my head towards Inuba and noticed she had been looking of to her side towards the distance all pensive-like. She almost seemed...sad a bit? She's always been hard for me to read compared to everyone else…

"You alright there? You've been spacing out for a while." I asked.

"H-Huh?! Oh… Well I…"

She hesitated for a moment before she turned to me and said what was on her mind.

"I've been thinking of home really...and the others…"

"Right… Family and all… At least your mother is here. And who knows? It's very likely you'll see your older brother Akihito, your older sister Asahi, and your little sister Mai again soon enough. Your mother did mention she was working on a way to make that happen, so all we have to do is wait and see. Which reminds me, we should probably call her after all this."

"Yes, we should. But I really do hope to see everyone again soon…"

"Where there's a will there's a way. Don't worry. It'll happen eventually."

"That's one of the things I like about you best...Master…"

"H-Huh..?"

"You're always optimistic in trying circumstances. And in a way, it rubs off on others and makes them hopeful too."

"You really think so..?"

"Of course. After all, I have seen it for myself after all this time we've spent together." she said smiling at me.

"Right…" I said softly.

"Is something wrong?"

"No...just… You know…"

"I'm sorry, but I don't quite 'know'..."

"Uh… Well… I guess I'm just hoping things will work out for you in the end is all."

"I really hope so as well…"

Judging by the swishing noise I heard, I took a guess that Inuba's fox tail was moving around rather quickly. That happens a lot when around me…

It was then the two of us noticed rustling in the bushes and in the trees around us. The noises were quite a distance away, but soon closed in around us. Whatever hid in the trees and in the bushes had the two of us surrounded.

As soon as Inuba had her right hand hover over the hilt of her katana, and my own right hand lowered to my side, our foes had made themselves known. Two creatures about our height and size leapt out from the bush and tree nearest to us and landed directly ahead of us, just a few feet away. Their bodies were canine-like in structure, and shape, almost like a smaller Beowolf, and stood upwards on their hind legs. In fact, the creatures had indeed resembled smaller Beowolves, only they had no bone-spikes on their backs and forearms. Instead, a long trail of fur behind the head of the creatures had extended outwards, gently flapping in the breeze like scarfs. Their forearms had been plated in white, bone-like segments, and facing downward from those segments were razor sharp segments trailing along the edges that resembled hiltless throwing daggers. Now, most importantly, their heads took on a rather familiar shape to me, like that of foxes, only they had bone-plate masks adorning their faces.

Now I knew what we were facing. Kitsuninjas. Fitting name given their capabilities. These things were as swift and quick as the wind, and highly intelligent compared to their Grimm counterparts, so much so that they're capable of setting up traps. Not only that, but those razor sharp segments located on their bone segments on their forearms could actually be thrown like throwing daggers. With great accuracy mind you. If anything, these Grimm far more resembled humans rather than their brethren.

"Distant relatives of yours?" I asked Inuba as I summoned my Longsword.

She smiled at my short and simple quip and shook her head as she drew her katana.

"None that I'm aware of."

"Good then. Now I won't feel so bad."

As soon as I said this, Inuba and I immediately dashed forwards to greet our new arrivals.

* * *

 **(Leonard POV)**

I hate this freaking forest…

Actually, no, I don't hate the forest. Rather I hate what's in it at the moment. I'd have rather continued walking on, minding my own business. But nope. Not happening. I've had to put down at least forty seven Grimm within the first ten minutes of landing. Forty three Beowolves and four Ursi.

Why can't things be simple? Or rather, why do I have to waste time with them? If it was something stronger, sure, I wouldn't have minded spending five minutes to kill it. But getting swarmed by dozens of small fry? Not an ideal way to kill time on Sunday. I'd rather play Phantom Souls with Ciel and brother, and endure their ridiculousness in the game rather than deal with all these small fry. But, I am highly effective against crowds given my abilities. Maybe that's why I get stuck with small fry all the time…

All I did next was let out a sigh and continued walking ahead. Despite me try to convince my sister otherwise, she decided to take a quick five minute break to at least try and make it to another boss in Phantom Souls. That, and she seemed interested in the flowers we passed by. So currently, I'm walking ahead of the of us. By myself. Doing nothing. Except thinking. Possibly wanting to take a break too and play with Ciel. No. I should turn back and tell Ciel to get off her butt and start moving. But considering I didn't want to be here doing all of this, and she bearing the same feelings I did, I kind of decided against it.

So instead of continuing forwards, I just stopped in my tracks, whipped out one of my handcannons and twirled it around my index finger twice. As as I did so, my handcannon quickly blazed with my white and black Aura, and quickly took the form of a sleek, white, medium-sized segmented sword. The black hilt's grip bent forward at the end, where thin black chain links dangled from its base and into the sleeve of my thin fabric jacket. Instead of a normal guard, there was a U-shape guard covering three inches of blade with a two inch prong bending upwards towards the blade slightly. The segments that met together to form the shape of the sword were colored white in between. Overall, the blade remained straight and slim, with the tip ending in a slanted razor-like edge.

You haven't seen it yet, but segments are interconnected with wires of the same material my weapon is made of overall, which if you can't remember, or haven't been paying attention, is made of Empyrean Steel and Calcified Steel, some of the toughest materials in Creation. This in turn allows me to extend the length of my weapon in sword form, making it a sort of sword-whip.

It's useful. It's deadly. It's not perfect, but it catches the majority of people off guard. Especially if they don't know the maximum range of my swings.

With a simple swing, I lobbed off a tree from its stump and watched it crash down to the forest floor, allowing me to finally take a seat down on the stump.

I wasn't going to just leave Ciel here by her lonesome, despite how annoying she could be at times. Like right now for instance. I'd rather be reading or doing something else right now rather than be here. But I have no choice. And I have to stick with Ciel now since she's my partner. And so...I'm going to wait. And I'm going to stare at the trees, flowers, and plants until Ciel decides to get moving again.

Just trying to make her get up would be a waste of time, she'd only say to give her more time or to wait. So doing anything to convince her would be a waste of time. So again, I'll just wait until she's done killing a video game boss. A really fun videogame, which is understandable. That's why I'm not as annoyed, since I like playing the videogame myself.

Well then...I guess I'll just take a peek as to what everyone is up to. I closed my eyes to focus my thoughts, and within that black space, I saw different Aura Signatures spread across in varying locations throughout the forest.

I centered in on the closest group to my location, crimson red and ice blue bursts of Aura. Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee. They're riding a Nevermore? Well, that's certainly new. Purple and Yellow. Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long. It seems as though they've found the objective, which means we should head to their location soon.

White and Red. Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos. It's amazing that Jaune Arc is still alive, even with the help of that Nikos girl. Though that might change soon given the Nevermore trying to kill them. Magenta and Pink. Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. They seem to be riding a...Ursa? What is with people and using Grimm as transport? Viable, yes. Stupid to many degrees? Also yes.

Lime green and Flaming Orange. Who in the world might you be lime green..? That Aura Signature… It almost matches brother's in terms of intensity and force… Interesting… His partner is no pushover either. Sorry whoever you are, but Inuba Kitsukami outmaches you when using fire. Not saying you're weak or anything, in fact, you're very very strong. Only saying our fire user is better. Seems as though they're taking their time at a leisurely pace since they're resting at the highest point of the structure that's very likely holding our objective. At this rate, they'll meet up with the other two groups. Wait… Is Lime Green staring straight at me? He can feel my Aura Signature from this far away? Impressive. He's like brother if he were any better at Sensing skills. And potentially a few other things. You definitely share first place with my brother on my "most dangerous" list.

Let's see… There you are brother. And even better, Ms. Kitsukami is with you. It seems as though everything worked out. Hmm? What's she getting all flustered about already? Did she look at his collarbone or something? I swear…

What's this? Clear wisps of Aura… Aura Resembling wind almost… I think it's safe to say her abilities are based on wind. And she resembles a kitsune? How interesting. Wait...she's already engaging an enemy? This could be trouble…

Either way, we should get going.

"Ciel! Are you finished yet?! We need to keep moving!" I shouted towards my right.

"Yup! Just killed the boss!" She shouted back before instantly appearing in front of me a second later, "So? What's the word? Foxy find big brother yet?"

"Indeed. They're making their way towards the objective right now actually. As should we."

"Right right… Should we hurry? They're kinda in the middle of a fight right now, so…"

"We'll rush to get there so we can finally wrap this up. Other than that, they can handle it themselves."

"Alrighty. Let's get a move on then."

Yeah, something I wish we would have done five minutes ago.

* * *

 **(Dante POV)**

Did I ever mention how much I hate small projectiles? Like bullets and throwing knives, axes and the such? No? Well then, I hate projectiles. And guess what these Kitsuninja are throwing at me? Throwing knives! How are they doing that? With those razor sharp segments on their forearms. They have fifteen on each arm, and they grow back in five minutes. So far it's been three minutes, and both Kitsuninjas are down to six knives each. Thankfully Inuba is as proficient at blocking and deflecting projectiles as I am.

Alright, I'm getting sick of this.

I dodged another knife, and spun around to avoid the other. Instead of just letting it pass me by, I snatched it out of the air, spun around, and lobbed it back at the Kitsuninja that threw it in the first place. I watched the knife pierce its arm, forcing it to stagger backwards slightly, giving me the opportunity I needed. I straight tossed my sword in the creatures direction, and as it was recovering, it only barely noticed my Longsword soaring towards its neck, forcing it to raise up its armored forearms defensively. When it struck my sword, it did so by swinging its arms outwards and sending my blade a short distance above its head.

Perfect. I had it right where I wanted it to be.

I leaned forward and dashed straight for the Grimm as it waited for my approach. Judging that its left arm is currently reared back, it was going to take a swing at me with that hand. Unfortunately, my plan wasn't going to be so simple as dashing towards it empty handed. After all, my sword still spun in the air above it. As it swung at me, I instantly vanished in a streak of white and black Aura. The poor creature seemed confused. Had it managed to cut me with enough force to destroy me? Not likely. In fact, I was behind it and quickly descending from above with my sword in hand. The Kitsuninja turned its head around too late to react, and could only watch as my sword cleaved through its body diagonally, its lower half falling to the ground first.

Done and done.

I turned my head around to see how Inuba was doing. Seemingly very well since the Kitsuninja she was squaring off with looked agitated. It was just randomly swinging at Inuba. Funnily enough, Inuba had two opportunities to finish it off between those wild swinging attacks. But she knew better then to immediately chance it on a random swing, unless they're singular attacks instead of multiple at once. I watched my partner dart and weave between the Grimm's attacks swiftly and with grace, the Kitsuninja's attacks nowhere near capable of ever touching her.

Simply amazing…

Inuba quickly dashed in when she found her opening and lashed at one arm, to opened it up, lashed out at the other to completely expose its body, then quickly back flipped whilst kicking the creature under its jaw, sending the creature up into the sky. This allowed her to upturn her sword to hold it backhand style and leapt up after the creature, raising up her katana with both hands before plunging it down into the creature's chest, pinning its body to the ground. The Grimm weakly reached for Inuba, which in turn forced her to plunge her blade even further into its body until it went limp completely, and slowly began to vanish.

"Nice work." I said walking up to her.

"It was nothing special really."

"You kidding me? You look awesome when you're fighting. Graceful and majestic!" I replied, posing by leaning forwards with one of my legs brought back and up into the air, one of my hands reaching out to her.

She giggled at this before she took my hand, and spun me around in the direction we originally intended to go towards.

"And your silliness never ceases to amaze, or impress me, Master…" she said letting go before playfully pushing me forwards.

"Ugh… Can we just leave?" I asked.

"No, we can't." she replied smiling to me, still pushing me forwards on her own, "We still need to find these relics Headmaster Ozpin spoke of. Then we can leave."

"Fiiine." I replied as she continued pushing me forwards effortlessly.

See? Told you she's strong.

Huh?

I turned my head towards the left while walking on my own now. I just felt an Aura Signature spike. That and...one faded..? No, it's completely gone. I closed my eyes and focused my senses towards the direction of the spike until I eventually saw one Aura Signature. Clear wisps. Like that of wind. It was faint, almost like it was about to disappear. Sensing Grimm is different from Sensing Aura or life. Thanks to a discovery by Inuba, if you focus on detecting negativity or evil, Grimm will show up as individual masses of Negativity that look like wisps of black and red energy. It's pretty useful for detecting Grimm. Considering I was using both Aura Sensing and Negativity Sensing, I was able to sense both types currently, if they were any at all. Right now, there was only the presence of the person with the clear, wind-like Aura.

Maybe we should make a side stop… Then again, she seems alright for the time being. No Grimm within a two mile radius... Seems as though she's moving after freezing up for a bit. Maybe she was waiting to see if there was anything else around? I couldn't say for sure. Considering my Sensing skills aren't as powerful or as sharp as Leonard's or Inuba's, I'm not able to see exact movements or actions that are occurring and I can't tell who or what the person is unless I'm up close; I can only take a guess at best. It's odd though… The way that person's Aura is functioning… It's like she's trying to hide. Erase her presence entirely. Maybe it's a passive effect. Something that's always active. It doesn't look like Inuba can sense her…

Maybe whoever it is will be alright. They're moving along. And besides, we need to move along as well.

"Master? Is something wrong?"

"Uh… No… Just spacing out is all."

"You do that often nowadays."

"Well, you know me. I just like to think a lot."

"One would agree far too much at times."

"Ain't that the truth…"

"Banzai!" said a voice from above.

What the-?

Before I knew it, Ciel had fallen directly atop my shoulders and sat on them, soon dropping her chin atop my head before letting her arms dangle freely. Apparently she thought I was her ticket to a free shoulder ride.

She was right. For the most part.

"What are you doing?" I asked Ciel as I shifted my eyes upwards to look at her.

"Taking a break."

"You had one two minutes ago!" said Leonard as he walked out of the forest clearing next to Inuba and myself.

"Yeah, but we have our towering brother to move us around. And by we, I mean me."

"I'm not that tall." I replied.

"You're taller than me, so it counts."

I only rolled my eyes as we continued forwards. I didn't know, but when I looked to Inuba, she seemed a bit down given that her fox ears were folded against her head. If she wanted a shoulder ride, she could just ask.

No… She wouldn't want something like that. She's too proper. And shy.

* * *

Eventually, we reached a cliffside and looked down the edge.

Pretty steep drop…

"You sure this is the quickest way?" I asked Leonard as I removed Ciel from my shoulders and set her down.

"Positive. Comparing the previous location of the masses of Aura Signatures that moved inwards to the position I've marked, that would very likely be our objective. That, and the masses moved outwards towards the ruins further within the forest."

"There's ruins in the forest?"

"Indeed. But it doesn't seem as though they're moving to the bigger set of ruins. In fact, they've stopped to deal with a Nevermore, a Deathstalker, and large masses of smaller Grimm. It seems as though they're surrounded."

"Alright then. Let's hop down, go to where they all gathered first, then move up to go help them out. Then...we can call it a day."

"What?! No way!" shouted Ciel.

"What?" I asked, seeing that Ciel was looking at her Holographic display.

She immediately turned the screen towards me and shouted, "They're doing an all day marathon of Samurai Jack before they finish up with the premier of the first episode of season 5!"

My eyes went wide as I stared at my little sister in pure shock.

"You serious?!" I asked.

"Yes!"

"There's a season 5?" asked Leonard.

"Yes!" shouted both Ciel and I.

"Okay! Um, new plan! We go as fast as possible, get this done as quick as possible, go back, buy ten bags of popcorn, ten bottles of two liter bottles of soda, pretzels that are both salted and cinnamon with frosting, pizza, and anything else we can think of so we don't leave the room tonight! Let's go!" I said before both Ciel and I sprinted forward and leapt off the cliff.

Inuba and Leonard immediately followed behind us as we got closer to the open area of the forest floor below. Then we all saw it. A pulse of lime green Aura quickly ran through the entire forest area, moving even as far as hundreds of meters behind us.

"What the hell was that?!" asked Ciel as the four of us still remained in freefall.

"I'm unsure! All I could tell is that it was an outwards blast of powerful Aura! The very same one I felt earlier!" said Leonard.

Wait… I know this Aura..! Edgelord Ezdeil..?

Heh heh… Edgelord Ezdeil. EE. I'm a clever one.

No I'm not. That was absolutely terrible.

We all flipped forwards once and landed softly on the ground beneath us, each of us looking back behind us up towards the cliff, unable to see the pulse of lime green Aura.

"That was weird… Think it would've turned us to ash or something if we touched it? Or at least try to vaporize us?"

"Unlikely…" said Leonard.

"No time to waste." was my only reply as I walked ahead of everyone else.

"Just how important is this...Samurai Jack?" asked Inuba as she looked at us with confusion.

We all stopped and stared at her, as if she were the town's crazy person. Okay, not exactly like that, but close enough.

"Best tv show of all time." said Ciel.

"You're lucky they have a marathon going on today." I said, "Now come on! Let's go and-!"

I stopped in my tracks ahead of the group and listened carefully. Rushing water? No…

Oh. Never mind. I know what that is.

I quickly raised up my left arm and shifted my body sideways slightly as a massive wave of burning orange fire flowed like sea water from within the expanses of the forest, swallowing me up in its brilliant blaze. I turned my head back slightly to see the flames had been split apart thanks to me standing at the front, meaning that the flames harmlessly passed by my siblings and Inuba. I think Inuba was screaming my name. But I couldn't hear all too well with the massive amounts of noise the flames were making.

In short, the massive wave of flame lasted about ten seconds where I stood, whereas the rest of the wave had passed by us already like the pulse wave from before. I kept staring ahead and look around, mainly expecting to see a completely burnt down forest. I was wrong. Instead, the forest looked as though it was embered up. Nothing was burnt, there was only the festering glow of flame visible throughout the entire forest.

Incredible… Whoever just did that has some serious control over fire. Almost as good as Inuba if they managed to not burn the forest down and pasted through matter with their flames. Very nice...

Wait a minute…

Now I see… That Aura Pulse from earlier was just as Leo had said. Harmless. It was a scanning pulse to detect signs of life throughout the forest in the event there were others hanging around. If we happened to be on the ground when the pulse passed by, it would have detected us and the flames wouldn't have hurt us at all. That...and my arm wouldn't have suffered.

I brought down my left arm and stared at it. It was intensely singed and burnt all the way up to my shoulder. Damn that fire is strong. Really strong if it did that much damage and slowed my regeneration, given by the fact my skin was slowly regenerating back to normal.

Oh come on! Burnt part of my shirt too?! Damn it!

The majority of the left side of my long sleeved black t-shirt had been burnt away in a diagonal fashion, stopping just at the start of the right side of my chest and stomach.

Okay… Whoever you are...you owe me a new shirt… And Oreo cookie ice cream for my emotional distress.

Kidding about the emotional distress part. I still want the Oreo cookie ice cream though…

"Master! Are you-?!"

As soon as I turned around, Inuba stopped dead in her tracks just a foot away from me.

"All fine. For the most part. Healing up nicely." I said bringing up my left arm, which for the most part had been healed.

"I-I see…"

"What about you? You didn't get hurt, right?" I said looking her over.

"N-No, I'm f-fine! U-Uh thank you!"

Why is it that I got closer suddenly her face got redder? Maybe I'm still burning up a bit? Can't tell. Temperature isn't a thing for me. Well, not exactly that, but everything will always feel like room temperature to me.

"Dude… Talk about scorched earth but not entirely scorched earth…" Ciel said as she and everyone else looked around the "embered" forest.

"Like the remains of a fire, except without the burns and ashes… How curious…"

"Well?" I asked turning to Inuba.

"It would appear this was a highly controlled burst meant to wipe out Grimm within a given radius and only Grimm. Everything else from the wildlife, the forest itself and everyone inside was excluded from the target calculations of whoever managed to perform this. This person has very strong control of fire..."

"Enough to be a threat to you?" I asked.

"Potentially if I were to not be wary of them and their capabilities. Although...this display alone tells me much about their skill and their overall capabilities. They shouldn't be underestimated at all, even with my capabilities."

That could be trouble if she's against us at one point.

If I had to describe the forest and how it looked like now, I'd say it was a lethally beautiful sight. It was like I said earlier, a forest of embers. As far as the eye could see, the leaves of every tree, the branches of every bush, the roots running through the ground, everything so much as connected to the forest floor was glowing like burning embers at the heart of a roaring fire. And yet, ironically enough, not a single flame flickered into the air.

* * *

Chess pieces.

We braved a forest that had Grimm inside it, got myself seriously burned for a few seconds...for chess pieces.

Seriously? What the heck man…

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy and all. When we got to the structure that held the relics, there was nothing left to fight. Wanna know why? Remember how the forest was all embered up? It lasted for forty minutes. Ten minutes for us to get to the palace to grab our relics, and thirty minutes to get guess what? It burned away any Grimm unfortunate enough to be touching the ground. What about again Grimm you ask? What do you think the initial flame burst was for? Utter annihilation. Like a nuke, but without the mass destruction and devestation.

Either way, it's done and over. Now I just have to sit through the team ceremony, then I can go watch my show. We had an hour before the ceremony, so Ciel and I went into town to go buy a lot of food and drinks. We put them in one of her pocket dimensions until we got our rooms assigned to us, which was after the ceremony. So hopefully this gets done and over with soon. Samurai Jack was what was more important to me at the moment.

"Master? Are you here?"

I quickly put on my new long sleeved black t-shirt and spun around to see Inuba enter the lockeroom.

"Heya."

"Hello."

"So...I guess we made it."

"Indeed we have. Things will certainly be interesting from now on…"

"A school that trains people our age to hunt spooky, scary monsters. Definitely ten times better than regular school."

"Heh… I remembered the days in Primordial when you would come home from school mentally exhausted and the such."

"It was so boooooooorrrrrriiiiinnnnnnnggggg…"

"I'm quite thankful I didn't go to school and had you educate me at home instead."

"Yeah, lucky you." I said poking her in the side, forcing a small "eep!" out of her.

She decided to poke back. So I decided to poke back. And so the back and forth poking war continued until I got an alert on my Scroll, telling me the ceremony was about to start in five minutes.

"Alright my comfortably fluffy partner, let's save the poking for later. One final thing to take care of for the day. Then…" I said clapping my hands together. "It's time for some Samurai action." I finished as we walked out of the locker room together.

"The show really holds significant importance to you and your siblings."

"It does. That show was awesome. And we get a season five now? If anything, I'm excited! After all the time you spent living with me on Primordial, I never once showed you Samurai Jack?"

"None that I can recall."

"Wow. I can't believe it. Either way, you're in luck. Marathon, then season five. You're in for a treat."

"I'm sure I am." she replied with a smile.

"Well… Are you ready?" I asked.

"Um, yes?"

"I said, ARE YOU READY?!"

"YES!" she replied with more enthusiasm and a small hop.

"Wonderful! Now, let's see what ridiculous team name we get stuck with for however long we stay here."

Inuba giggled at my statement as she walked alongside me inside the auditorium, both of us ready for the future that now awaited us. And as we walked out to join the others that made it through with us, I couldn't help but constantly spin around the chess piece we claimed between my fingers. Whether it was excitement or nervousness I did not know. All I did know, however, was that things were only going to get more difficult from here.

* * *

T **hey made it! Wooooooooooooooooooooooooo!**

 **And yes, I'm a freak for Samurai Jack people. One of the best shows ever from the old days. And if you didn't get the message, hint hint, they released Season 5 this month. Not like all the episodes at once, they started releasing episodes on Saturday nights. So watch it. It's a good show. Promise.**

 **So yeah. Those Kitsuninja. Pretty cool huh? I'm not sure if you remember him, probably won't if you haven't read the previous story, but there's this artist on deviantart that's made some really cool Grimm OC's. One of them being the Kitsuninja. I don't entirely remember his previous name, but he goes by the name LongSean22 now. And again, he's made some very interesting Grimm concepts like the Kitsuninja. So go check him out when you can.**

 **That's pretty much it on my end.**

 **So with that,** **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created. ****Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. And trust me, you'll love it.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Of Ceremonies and Dorm Rooms**

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Wow… There are a lot of people here. Large masses of returning students had gathered inside the auditorium and had taken their seats alongside the staff. Meanwhile, the rest of us had gathered on stage and sat in seats specifically for us. They even had our names taped onto the chairs. How nice of them.

On my left sat Inuba, and then Ciel. To my right sat Leo and a few other students that made it through initiation with us; Ruby Rose's group and Jaune Arc's group.

"Come on! We've been waiting her for like minutes! The marathon is starting in like an hour!" Ciel whispered to Inuba, Leo and myself.

"I agree with Ciel… I'd rather be elsewhere right now…" said Leo as he looked around awkwardly.

"Well if you stop complaining, Fate may be kind enough to wrap this up quicker. Besides, this is a proud moment for us all. Aren't you excited?" I asked them.

"Well…"

"Not really." responded Ciel.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, cool, we made it. Woohoo. Just send me out to crush stuff so I can just chillax later." said Ciel as she folded her hands behind her head and leaned back into her chair.

"You do realize we also have schoolwork. Homework, projects, tests?"

"Yeah, but that stuff's easy work! We're already fanfriggintastically smart enough that stuff like that is like a quick five minute warm up."

"Although in your case, it would thirty minutes." retorted Leo.

"Hey!"

"While it is true you posses the same capability of intellect like brother and myself, you surely do not use it the majority of the time."

"Careful there Leo. I'm a lot smarter than you think I am..." she replied.

"We'll see when classes start, won't we?"

"Five hundred Lien says I get all A's this Semester."

"Oh? All A's you say? Are you sure you wish to issue this challenge?" asked Leo with a coy smile.

"Hell yeah I'm sure, dork. You know what? I don't like your attitude. So now it's going to be a thousand Lien. Not only will I get all A's, but a higher grade score than you at the end of the semester."

Leo almost burst out laughing had he not controlled himself in that instant.

"Very well then. Just know that when I win, I am definitely spending the money I earned from you on many useless things."

"Why you little-!"

"Cool it you two. Save it for after the closing ceremony." I said.

They both glared at each other, but only Leonard was the one smiling. Pissing off Ciel was never in anyone's best interest, because if you do piss her off, her best interest will then be your actual, physical heart.

She hasn't Mortal Kombatted anyone. Yet.

But despite Leo's confidence in his intelligence, underestimating Ciel isn't something he would do easily unless he was sure he could best her at whatever it is they were competing for. He shouldn't underestimate her intelligence period. I know Ciel doesn't seem like the kind of girl that has a brain in her head at times, but like I said before, she is actually very smart. When she's actually trying and putting in effort, she's able to be even smarter. She almost beat me in chess once actually…

I turned my head to look at Inuba, seeing her fidgeting around slightly. She seemed...nervous.

"You okay?"

"H-Huh? Oh, um...peachy?"

"Peachy?"

"Y-Yes! Peachy!"

"Just making sure. You seem a little on edge there partner."

"Well...this is all rather...different. New things tend to make people nervous and the such."

"Relax. It's only an congratulations ceremony."

"But what if we didn't-?"

"We made it. We grabbed chess pieces just like everyone else did. Although we had less opposition compared to everyone else, we still did what was required of us. So relax. We passed."

She remained silent as she looked away from me for a moment, then took a deep breath and exhaled.

"You're never nervous in situations like these. What's with the jitteriness all of a sudden?"

"It's...well… This is an important step forward for the four of us. And I'd like for all of us to move forward together from here onwards. Which is why I'm worried as to whether or not we actually passed. I want all of us to be here together."

"Well, you don't need to worry about that Inuba. We'll be together for practically forever."

"H-Huh?! W-Wha-?! D-Do you mean-?!"

"Thank you all for joining us here today. Let me be the first to welcome all initiates back to Beacon. You did well retrieving those artifacts, however simple or difficult the task may have been, was a means to analyse your characters, your abilities, and your decisions."

Ozpin glanced around the room as he spoke, making it seem as if he was addressing each student personally, without actually referring to any of them by name. If anything, he was effective at captivating an audience, for all eyes had been on him. He even managed to hold my attention. And quite frankly, I'm not a big fan of speeches. At all.

Still...there was something else...odd about him. His speech's aim wasn't to enthuse or brighten anyone's spirits in the slightest. In a way, it's like he was basically giving us the ultimatum here and now.

Keeping fighting and moving forward. Otherwise, you will be left behind in the dust.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned in the slightest.

Initiation was more or less his way of seeing what we were made of as a collective whole of students. Or at least those that needed to be at their absolute best to pass. For people like Inuba, my siblings, and myself, even Edgelord Ezdeil, something like that wasn't entirely possible. We still had far much more to show than what we presented. Either way, we have his attention.

"That said, your teams will be forged around your choices for which relic you decided to return with. Many of you realized this, given its simplicity, but few of you realized the true driving factor behind the chess pieces you turned in."

"Soooooo, what? The pieces basically determined our team and stuff?" asked Ciel in a whisper.

"Not only that, but in some form they also collectively represented us." said Inuba.

Not a bad assumption...

"Each piece depicts a subconscious decision within you, whether you aware of it or no. Chess plays by a spectacle of novel rules and architectural ingenuity. Through your choices, your morality was tested, your innate desires were pulled, and your personalities were derived. Each of your personal pieces depicted some combination of these three traits."

"Meh, I was close." said my sister shrugging her shoulders.

Sure.

So it wasn't a simple test of our might. It was a test for...well, almost everything. Ozpin was studying each of us closely and carefully, trying to take in and learn as much as possible. And if he already had some prior general knowledge of us the students, whatever he saw at initiation simply added to his reserve of knowledge on us. Granted it wasn't everything, it was still a lot. Which begs the next question I had in mind…

How much does he know of me? How much did Kareina, Inuba's mother, tell Ozpin about myself and Inuba? Everything? Or just what he needed? Either way, future interactions with him will tell me of how much he knows and understands.

"This initiation gave us a prime example of what to expect from all of you. But keep in mind that anything is subject to change under the slow advance of time. So I implore you to take the energy within you and give it a purpose, rather than wasting the potential you may very clearly possess."

Ozpin paused for a moment, using this brief period of silence to take a hushed breath.

"Now, your teams will be formed under the rules of four. Four members, four letters, one name, and one leader. Please make your way to the stage in the order you are called."

"This it peeps! Moment of truth!"

I wasn't really paying attention all too much. I was mostly waiting for him to call our names. Frankly, I wanted to just leave right now. Like leave as in "get out of the state" leave. Sensing Ezdeil's Aura was like letting a massive ocean wave crash into you and swallow you whole. Was I afraid of his Aura? Or him for that matter? No, not really. Intimidated slightly? Yeah, sure. Who wouldn't be concerned about Aura of that nature? Correction, what sane person wouldn't be concerned?

Looking towards Inuba, I could tell she couldn't feel his Aura Signature. Neither could Leo or Ciel. Or anyone in this room for that matter. Which was odd since my Aura Sensing was worse than my partner's and my sibling's. So how is it I can sense you? Speaking of which, where even are you exactly? I can feel you somewhere around the school… Skipping already on your first day? Tut tut tut.

Oh well. Can't be helped. I heard that an ally assigned to them got injured during initiation. Her partner wasn't as lucky…

Ozpin did warn us that there's a possibility of death.

"Shit! Kyzal! What the fuck are you doing?! Are you trying to get our asses kicked?!"

My eyes moved towards the hushed whisper of frustration. Not that far down the aisle from us I could see two people arguing over...a bottle? One of the guys wore a purple beanie, a purple hooded jacket with a zipper that had brown, slightly padded shoulders, close-fitting jeans, and a pair of midnight purple canvas shoes, the rim of his shoes, where the soles are, were white. It didn't seem as though he ties his shoes. Did he tuck in the laces? Wow. Lazy enough that you won't even tie your shoelaces? And what's with all that purple? Are you auditioning to become a pimp or something? Cause the last pimp I saw was at the supermarket about a month ago wearing all purple. From the strands of hair I could see emerging out of his beanie, he had blonde hair that almost looked like gold, and violet eyes.

The other guy he was fighting for the bottle had black, shaggy hair that reached around his ears, and his bangs slightly cascaded over his eyes. His eyes were a bright shade of gold that seemingly reflected any light that hit them. His clothing was plainly all black, consisting of black baggy sweatpants, black running sneakers to p and a cotton jacket with equally black fur trim around its collar. The jacket had...slits near his back? What for? He also had his hood up, and the shadow that it casted over his face was darkened so that it would completely conceal his face. Unfortunately for him, I can see in dark rooms and spaces. He had to be around 5'7, three inches shorter than I was, and seemed to be of average build. Now that I think about it...I could swear I've seen this guy somewhere before.

What's so important about this bottle that they're arguing over it? Wait, is that-?

"Are you freaking serious right now..?"

"Hmm? Master?"

"What's up broham?"

Inuba, Ciel and Leo leaned forwards and looked towards me as I pointed my thumb to the pair of idiots down the aisle.

"Those morons brought alcohol with them. A strong brand too."

"Well, that's pretty gutsy." said my sister.

"Foolish if anything." retorted Leo, "Surely they can't expect to not be caught. Not with a bottle that large."

"What could have possibly possessed them to bring alcohol to this event?" asked Inuba.

"Who knows? Maybe they're the type to celebrate to greater extents compared to everyone else."

"But...alcohol Master? Here and now?"

"It's like I always say Inuba. Never underestimate the power of stupidity. Otherwise you'll always be caught off guard."

It's true. Once or twice in my life I did exactly that. No, this I stupid. No, something like that can't possibly work. Well, I was wrong in those instances. Needless to say, I was caught off guard both times.

"Oh, looks like beanie dude got the bottle back." noted Ciel.

"Looks to be the case." replied Leo.

"Oh, dude! That black haired guy that beanie dude snagged the bottle from looks totally smashed beyond recognizing his own name! Think he's gonna start tagging the walls with chuke before or after he gets on stage?" asked Ciel.

"If we're lucky, hopefully neither." I replied.

The four of us kept the corner of our eyes focused on the two morons to our right as Ozpin made official one of the top teams during initiation. Team RWBY. Oh? Ruby Rose made leader? Not bad Ruby. While deceptively small, no doubt you're a serious damage dealer and a fighter. A scythe that's also a high impact sniper rifle? That's definitely something I've never seen before. All I know is that given her size and the recoil of her sniper rifle attachment, it's going to give her attacks large momentum boosts for high damage. She's definitely a promising student. Same thing for her team from what I've heard. A team definitely to keep eyes on.

"Gabriel Stryker, Ray Chroma, Scarlet Rubine and Kyzal Drave, please make your way to the stage."

We heard a girl squealing next to the two idiots as she was the one who quickly stood up first. The girl known as Scarlet wore an armoured, carmine sleeveless tunic that extended to just below the waist. It also had a pair of black tails near the rear that fell to just below her knees, and on the rear was a small keyhole revealing a portion of her upper back and shoulder blades. Below the waist she wore a pair of form-fitting, black leather pants that reached the middle of her calves, each leg having a dark, cherry red strip running down the length at the sides. Her footwear consisted of black, red laced combat boots and a Templar cross badge secured to the tongue of each boot, the cross red with a black outlining and made of metal.

Her accessories consisted of a black utility belt that would hold her weapon, a couple of magazines for said weapon, a carabiner for grappling or abseiling, a reel of steel wire, and a multi-tool kit. Well, safe to say she's prepared.

I finally spotted something rather...odd around her neck. It was a black chain with a pendant attached to it, where the pendant was in the shape of an eye, white in colour, and had the same red Templar cross situated in the center where the iris would be.

What was really odd was the Aura Signature she gave of. It was giving me chills, just like Ezdeil's Aura… That's two people with really weird Auras. Can anyone else feel it? Or is it seriously just me? I don't know about Ezdeil, but this Scarlet person's Aura Signature felt really familiar. Like you know you've seen it somewhere before, but it's not exactly what you think it is, only that it's close in nature to something. And strangely enough, she's very...positive. Almost Nora Valkyrie positive, who I heard rode in on an Ursa, which I admit, would have been pretty cool to see if I was there. Either way, I'm being a bit careful around her for now. Same with Ezdeil.

The final noticeable features I took note of was that she had long, scarlet hair that reached her shoulders. And look at that, scarlet colored eyes as well.

"Here goes nothing." said another as he stood up before the two morons did.

He had to be Gabriel Stryker. From what I saw, he had long brown hair that fell just above his shoulders, and had purple eyes. He also stood at my height, 5'10. His attire was certainly...interesting to say the least. Pinkish/Purple light body armor underneath an open brown trench coat, black trousers and metal knee and shin guards, brown boots that looked like a combination between cowboy boots and combat boots, and a metallic belt with black gloves, where the pointer finger and pinky finger were exposed on both hands.

Okay. Interesting fellow already. Cool. Possibly flamboyant. Won't be sure unless I talk to him some other time.

We turned our heads towards the purple beanie dude as he slowly heaved himself out of his seat like he was about ready to walk in to his execution. This constantly angry person seemed to be Ray Chroma, who at the moment was helping the heavily wasted person we all assumed to be Kyzal Drave.

"They're so getting busted right now." said Ciel.

"Agreed." said Leo.

"You never know. Again-" I began before I was cut off by my siblings.

"Never underestimate stupidity." The two said in unison.

"Good."

Ray had a messenger bag on him as he continued helping Kyzal to the stage by acting as a crutch for him. From the surprised look on his face that quickly shifted to his bag, I could only assume something he had inside it was missing. Ray then turned to Kyzal and began questioning him sternly, and yet Kyzyl was doing his best to ignore him until he no longer could. Considering my positioning, when Kyzyl slightly unzipped his hoodie, I could what it was Ray was so concerned about.

"You are absolutely joking right now… Really?"

"What?" asked Ciel.

"That dude in black that's smashed, Kyzal, has another bottle in his hoodie."

Ciel had almost burst out laughing had she not slapped her hands on her mouth while only Inuba and Leo sighed.

"Y-You serious?!" Ciel asked still trying to contain herself.

"Dead serious."

"They are absolutely doomed." said Leo as he cupped his hands around his mouth and rested his elbows on his knees, watching with both interest and suspense.

We half expected Kyzal to topple over at the stairs, but instead, they actually made it to the top of the stairs and stood in an orderly line in front of Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch.

"You four retrieved the white pawn pieces, this reflects in your ability to appear to be mere cannon fodder, though, in reality, you have the most potential out of any other piece. Silent, yet deadly, the humble pawn can be the most dangerous piece in the entire game if its opponents underestimate its abilities."

While Ozpin delivered his speech, we watched Ray and Kyzal subtly wrestle over the bottle of champagne, Ray very keen on the idea of repossessing his bottle of champagne.

Oh my god those idiots... Don't they realize it's a carbonated drink?! If they shake it that much-!

With all the quick motions the two made in order to take the bottle of champagne from one another, it had begun to build in pressure, and at any moment was going to pop.

They are so fu-

"From this day forward, you four shall be known as team R-"

A loud popping sound traveled through the entire amphitheatre as the small wooden plug fired out of the bottle of champagne like a bullet.

The rest of us sat in silence, some, if not all of us watching in complete surprise and horror as the cork landed straight into the cleavage of Professor Goodwitch.

I did as Leo did and cupped my hands around my mouth, our eyes darting back and forth between the team on stage and Goodwitch.

Ozpin, surprisingly enough, took a moment to look at the cork firmly embedded into the crevice on Professor Goodwitch's chest.

I don't know what it was Kyzal had said at the moment, but all I could see was that he slowly handed the bottle to Ray and shuffled himself nervously to the side.

You know how you could look at someone, and they just have that expression of pure murder on their face that was so strong you felt like they could melt away all of your skin within a matter of a second? That's the expression professor Goodwitch had right now. Scarlet and Gabriel, in the heart of this disaster, tried their hardest not to laugh, Scarlet by far the worst at her attempt since her chest was shaking rapidly and her face flushed behind her hands. As for Gabriel, he was desperately fighting off a grin as the corners of his lips twitched in resistance, the boy's hands never once leaving the pockets of his long coat.

So what of us? Well, Ciel's eyes were watering as she desperately tried to hold back her muffled laughter in her hands while leaning forward towards her lap so she couldn't been seen. I couldn't help myself either as I let out a silent chortle and leaned forward in a similar fashion to avoid being seen. My eyes were closed as I bit back my laughter. Leonard slowly crept into a smile and placed a hand on his face to hide his smile. Inuba was the only decent one among us that didn't laugh, and was instead trying to persuade us to stop.

"M-Master! Please!" she whispered to us.

"S-Sorry… Sorry… S-Shut up you two… It's not funny… Hehehehehe…"

"I-I can't stop..! Kehehehehe..! I'm...not...sorry!" whispered Ciel in a giggle.

"I'm sorry… I know I shouldn't be laughing but...I can't help myself either…" whispered Leo as he covered his face with both hands to hide his laughter.

Ozpin, a man highly respected for his patient and stoic image, held a tiny glint of amusement in his eyes as he turned to his infuriated assistant.

"Are you alright, my dear?"

Not only was he able to maintain a straight face during what was likely to be the most humiliating moment in her entire career at this school, but he had the sheer tenacity to poke fun at her.

The four of us, after recovering from our laughing fit, watched as Ray's shoulders involuntarily shrunk, trying to make himself as small as physically possible. Honestly now, it wasn't like it dissuade her bad mood, and very likely murderous intentions toward him. Luckily for Ray, Ozpin was quick enough to take his head off the chopping block to resume his speech.

"As I was saying…" he began, "you will be known from this day forward as team…" The man paused for a split second, eyeing the four quickly before deciding on what he should name their team, "Renegades."

Not bad, not bad. Kinda fits well.

"Led by, Scarlet Rubine."

Oh.

Oh!

Yeah, they're doomed.

Clearly Ray was thinking the same thing I was at the moment given that look of "WTF?!" on his face right now. Still, I must admit I'm a bit surprised that he and Kyzyl weren't murdered on the spot. But good fortune and all that. I guess. Well, good luck to you guys.

"Next to the stage please."

Please be us. Please? Who am I kidding… Of course it won't be us.

"Bailey Lianna. Musashi Ryūjinhōno…"

No way. Bailey, the girl that was looking for Leo, is on the same team as that Dragon Faunus Musashi? Considering the order of their names being called, they must be partners. How about that… Well, Bailey did say she was going to look for someone on her level of skill and abilities. If anything, I think Musashi meets that quota. Now only time could tell whether or not they'll get along.

"Kaliel Sapphira. Nori Andel."

Oh? Now who might those people be? Let's see…

Obviously the girl walking next to the tall dude was Kaliel, and the tall dude had to be Nori.

Kaliel seemingly stood at 5'4, had light brown hair that reached her shoulders, azure colored eyes, and an azure blue hair clip to keep the hair in front of her face parted towards the left side. For apparel, she wore a sleeveless azure blouse and pair of white jean shorts along with black thigh high socks and white shoes. On her left side, she a wore a simple brown leather satchel.

Nori had to be somewhere around 6'5, and had shaggy brown hair that was chin length and light brown eyes. His choice of clothes were simple really. A pair of grey trousers with black sandals that had grey soles. The only thing out of the ordinary was the sleeveless grey haori he wore that was tied together with a black cloth obi. Overall, despite being tall, he was fairly lean and muscular. The only other oddity I could spot was the red, sandalwood Buddhist priest prayer beads wrapped around his arm in fifteen loops, which meant there were five hundred beads strung together in total. Could that be his weapon?

In any sense, Bailey, Musashi, Kaliel and Nori had all gathered on stage, standing by each other's side as they waited for Ozpin to say his part.

"The four of you retrieved the white queen pieces. Argueably, the queen piece is the most powerful piece on the board, having unlimited movement in any direction. Like yourselves, the Queen represents the power of Nature, whilst reflecting the light of the King, possessing unlimited potential. From this day forward, the four of you will be known as team LMKN (Lymirikan)."

Well that's a fairly odd name. But I'm pretty sure I've heard it somewhere before… Ah, now I remember. The Lymirikan was an ancient wyvern that headed a clan of dragons that the White Knights of Remnant hunted and fell to. This particular wyvern happened to be the most powerful and held the highest position amongst the creatures of its immediate race. Definitely something I wouldn't want to mess with unless I needed to.

"You will hence be led by Bailey Lianna."

Oh wow! Nice job Bailey! No really, I'm not being sarcastic or anything. I'm actually legitimately clapping for her. In a way, she kinda seems the type who doesn't like to lead really unless she's required to. Either way, I wish you luck Bailey.

"Now then...for the next team to be named this evening…" spoke Ozpin.

That would be us. Like Ciel said, moment of truth.

"Please step forward… Dante. Inuba Kitsukami. Ciel. Leonard."

I gave them all a nod as they nodded back while they stood up with me and began walking towards the stage. There's virtually nothing that can make feel uncomfortable...unless all eyes on the room are trained on me. When people do that, it makes me feel as though I've done something wrong. Yes, I know this isn't the case right now at the moment. But it's the feeling that counts. I guess. I don't know.

Something that made me slightly annoyed was the amount of people staring at Inuba as she walked behind me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a spotlight hog or something like that. All the girls eyeing her and admiring how beautiful she looked and how elegant she was, which I admit, is the same thing that goes through my head virtually each time I look at her, was fine and all. But the comments, as well as the eyes of some of the in the auditorium, that some of the guys made were erratically stirring my inner murderer. He's been asleep for a long long time now. Please don't wake him. I don't really want to go through a whole months supply of Windex and Swiffer Floor cleaner wipes just yet.

What couldn't be said in words at the moment was clearly translated by the quick look of murder I gave some guys as we walked on by. They stopped staring at Inuba directly soon after.

Good.

All of us had gathered on stage and stood side by side, waiting as Ozpin glanced over each and everyone of us. I swore he almost chuckled with how enthused Ciel was.

"The four of you retrieved the white King pieces. This is the piece the whole game revolves around and represents our deeper selves. The divine spark within each and everyone one of us. Although only capable of taking a step at a time, the potential to succeed and transcend is greater than all. Underestimation of any of you will always lead to the defeat of those opposing you. From this day forward...you will be known...as Team DICL (Dicilius)."

Well that sounds made up.

"The Knights of Dicilius, Knights who long ago had fought off Grimm incursions. Dicilius, the head White Knight, swore an oath to protect the innocent from the clutches of Grimm during ancient times. He single-handedly led his allies through the Grimmlands to destroy a nest of adolescent Grimm Dragons before allowing them to evolve and wreak havoc across the villas of his homeland. He may have killed them all, but sadly, at the cost of his men due to the adult dragon arriving to protect its young. He wounded the creature, but it took the lives of his entire batallion. Dicilius was the only one to make it back alive, but he did so with the eye of the dragon that killed his allies. He had the eye fired and molded into a gem that was encrusted into the hilt of his white blade, and with it, he took it upon himself to aid those under siege from the Grimm in the villages he traveled through. It is to you brave four that I bestow upon you his name. Carry it with pride wherever you may go."

See, now I was biting my lip a bit and retracting my previous statement. But despite that, I found myself smiling a bit when everyone was cheering and clapping for us. For the most part, my attention, and the attention of my three others were focused on those very same people applauding and congratulating us for our accomplishment. That was until I noticed Opzin's hand move directly in front of me.

"Congratulations young man. I hope you find what you are looking for during your years at our school."

All I could manage at the time was a sheepish nod before I extended my hand towards his and shook it briefly without saying a word in response. Was it intimidation? No, not really. I just didn't know what to say at the moment.

He gave us all a nod as we returned to our seats shortly after, as we were sure he was going to announce the final team. But that was the problem. Ezdeil wasn't here. Neither was his team from what I could tell. Why was th-?

"Unfortunately, our last team is unable to be present at the moment. Earlier today in the forest, one of their teammates had suffered and lost his life. As such, they have been excused from attending today's ceremony."

Right… Almost forgot about that… I wonder though...is the person that died the one that-?

"The current standing members are as follows. Niro Ezdeil. Anoel. And Kitsuki Aeolus, forming team ELA (Elandrial)."

Niro, huh? At least I know his full name now.

"With that, we conclude the ceremony. Classes begin tomorrow at nine. You can find all the books you need for your classes at the bookstore. As for your dorms, they will be assigned to you as soon as you leave this room. Expect a notification to appear on your Scroll. With that, I bid you all good day."

As soon as he finished, people started getting up and out of their seats and filed out the doors quickly. All, if not the majority of students eagerly chattered with one another as did so, the fours of us quickly trying to file out as well. We had a marathon to catch afterall. Unfortunately, with the high volume of people inside, it was tough to try and get through without pushing anyone forward.

"Yo! Big brother! What now?!"

"Uh… Here, you go get the food and stuff with Leo! Inuba and will set up the room in the mean time! Got your Lien cards with you?!"

"Uh..!" I saw Ciel check the side pocket of her skirt before she quickly gave me the thumbs up and said "Yep! How much we buying?!"

"Enough so that we don't leave the room tonight!"

"Got it!" Ciel then turned to Leo and grabbed his arm, "Alright tall and proper, let's go!"

"Wait just a seconnnnnnnnnnddd!"

Leonard's voice trailed off into the distance as we watched Ciel leap up into the air over all the students, with Leo in toll, and bounce off of the walls until she was st the head of the line, running out of the building with Leo.

"Well that's one way to do it. Right then, Inuba, let's- Huh?"

She was absolutely nowhere to be seen at the moment. Where the heck did she go?

"Um, e-excuse me please!"

There's her voice. But where was my fluffy tailed partner?

"Pardon me! I need to move through!"

Follow the voice, follow the voice, and…

"E-Excuse-!"

I quickly shot my hand towards Inuba's before she could sink deeper into the sea of students and grabbed hold tightly. By the way her head jolted up, it was like she wasn't expecting to see me.

"M-Master..!"

"You okay?"

"Y-Yes, I'm fine..!"

"Alright. Don't let go, okay? I'll guide us right out."

"Y-Yes…" replied softly as I gently pulled her towards me so that we could walk side by side.

I think she might be a little tired or something. It almost felt as though she was weak in the knees for the moment as we continued making our way through the crowds of students, moving ever so closer the exit. Eventually, freedom was achieved as the two of us both saw the blue sky once again.

"That was a pain to get through… You okay? I hope they didn't push you around too much."

"No, I'm...fine. Just fine…"

"If you say so. Well, let's go get our stuff and set up then."

I made to let go of her hand. Oddly enough, that didn't happen, for now it was Inuba who was grasping onto my hand tightly. I looked back at her for an answer, but ill received in return at the moment was her turning her reddened face away from me, trying her best not to make eye contact with me.

"I-I still don't quite know my way around here… S-So… I would l-llike to hold on longer until we get to our dorms… If you don't mind…"

"Well, you have a point. We only just got here and still aren't used to how big this place is. So if you really need to, then hold on tight and don't let go."

As soon as I said this, I noticed her face get redder and her mouth hung agape slightly before I moved on with Inuba in tow. I couldn't help but notice how her hold on my hand grew even tighter than before as I led her back to the garage space.

* * *

 **(Ciel POV)**

"That's about everything… What do you think?" I asked.

"We've quite literally bought a cascade of food drinks, so much so that we have no need to go to the store for two months at most. So yes, I think it's safe to say we have everything we need." said Leo.

True enough. But hey, we can eat as much as we want and not get fat. Well, except for Foxy. She's the only one who actually needs exercise to retain that beautifully slender and curvaceous form of hers. She doesn't need to exercise like at all, but you know, I think she'd get more exercise with big brother in the b-

"Alright then Ciel. Take use back to the dormitory entrance." said Leo.

"Cool. Which one was it again?" I asked.

"Did you really forget which room we're staying in?"

"Dude, I don't even know which room we got."

Leonard only sighed as he hand me his share of the bags of stuff we bought. The weight wasn't so much an issue, but the amount of bags was. Literally, I was carrying like fifteen really full plastic bags in each hand.

I watched my brother bring up the holographic display of his HoloScroll and open a tab to messages from our brother, where even I could see that he found what it was that he was looking for. Me? I'm just trying to figure if I can carefully remove some chips from within a bag in a bag to munch on. I think I can… Alright, historical testing commencing in three, two-

"Got it. Room 304. Third floor of the First Years dormitory."

"Cool cool. So where is it exactly?"

"Really?"

"Hey, I'm not the smartest of us or the most attentive of us, but I'm good enough as is. Besides, details like that is usually up to you and big brother anyway. Remember the Royal Decree after the Monkey, Eagle, Orange showdown?"

That caught him in his tracks.

"I really hate you for suggesting that incredibly stupid game…" he said.

"Hey, don't hate the player, hate the game. Or whichever order it was. Is it the other way around?"

"Just get us to here please…" he said as he moved the screen in front of me.

"Oh! It's that ting between the other tings and..! Yeah, got it."

I snapped my fingers as a circular portal of black Aura opened up in front of us and we stepped through. Soon as we did, we were already back at the front entrance of the dormitory. Being able to teleport is freaking sweet. So is being able to stop time. But that's like uber cheating, so I only use it when I feel like winning.

So we took a walk inside, walked past a few students that waved hi at us, and we eventually got to the third floor where we were staying at. Along the way, we saw a little reaper in red along with her team scurrying in and out of their room, very likely trying to set up their room and stuff before tomorrow. Luckily, we had Foxy and my big brother for that. Big brother isn't a super neat freak, but he does like to keep things in an orderly shape. Which is cool and all, don't get me wrong. It's just a bit annoying sometimes. Cause then I have to do more work and so forth and so on. If possible, I'd like less work thank you very much.

Before I could think of anything else, my eyes snapped to Leo, who was just about ready to open the door to our room.

"Wait a minute there cowboy. Knock first." I said.

"Why?" he asked, "We have two changing closets inside. If either brother or ms. Kitsukami is changing then-"

"You got the two subjects right, but not the action. Think about it."

It took him a hot second or two, but he did get it.

"I highly doubt-"

"Hey, Foxy looks about ready to go into heat and claim him at any moment. Do you really want to walk in on them if they're doing bedroom gymnastics?"

"Y-You're right… For once…"

"Hey, I'm right a lot of times. Just not always mr. Knowitall."

"I am not a knowitall."

"Sure. Keep telling yourself that."

I moved past him and knocked on the door twice, and not a second later did Foxy open the door for us.

"Oh! Hello you two. Is that everything?" she asked looking at the bags in my hands.

"Everything we'd need and more." I replied.

"Do you need help, or-?"

"Nah, I got it." I peeked my head inside quickly, unable to find my big brother in the room, "Where's big brother?"

"Oh, he needed to take care of documents and confirmations to finish up our moving here."

She moved aside and let me through, allowing to take a deeper look at our new room. At the Kitsukami Estate, we each had our own rooms. But now, we were bunched up in one room. Near the window sills, we saw four dark wood grain desks side by side one another with plenty of books, paper and pencils and other desk supplies we'd need for school assignments. On the walls of our room, we had some of our own posters and wall art we brought from home that we're now added to the walls here, so in a way, it almost looked like an awesome combination of all four of our rooms.

We had a decently sized walk in closet that held all of our clothes, and two drawers that was pretty much likely for our underwear and such. Big brother and Leo had one drawer while Foxy and I had the other. To save up more space, it looks like Foxy and big brother took the beds that were already in here and made them into bunk beds. The joints were perfectly aligned and sealed together so that it pretty much looked like an awesome bunk bed. After peeking inside RWBY's room, we saw that they had really bootleg bunk beds going on, so I'm thinking Foxy and big brother got the idea from them.

Lastly, the two most important items we had in the room. One was a decently sized black refrigerator that was definitely going to hold all the food and stuff we bought. The other was a 90 inch black bar attached to the center back wall in between the window sills. That...was the all mystical holographic TV display our brother had made and brought with him here. High definition audio and video to deliver awesomeness for days on end. It was on that glorious piece of machinery that we were going to watch our marathon of Samurai Jack.

"Nice work Foxy. You and big brother sure know how to set up a room alright…"

"We did try to make it as homey as possible, so we took different aspects from each of our rooms back at the Estate and combined them together here."

Yep. I was right. I was about to turn around and ask Leo something, but he wasn't there. Where'd he go all of a sudden?

I quickly opened the fridge and took everything out of the bags and rapidly put them in one after another, then tossed the bags on top of the fridge. I made sure to quietly peek my head out the doorway and saw exactly what I expected to see. My brother Leo. What I didn't expect to see in extra...was him talking to a girl. Him. Going up and talking to a girl.

THIS IS COMPLETELY OUT OF MY EXPECTATIONS.

Not to mention, it was that girl from LMKN, Bailey Lianna. Oh~ Good taste Leo. Usually I'd say this one is out of his league...but now...I'm not all too sure. Besides, the way the conversation is going, it looks like she's interested in him too. Kinda hard to tell with that weird blindfold she's wearing. But hey, good for you man. Do your best.

By the way, I'm totally teasing the hell out of you every chance I get. Just like with Foxy! The fun will never end!

"Oh? Who is Leonard conversing with?" asked Inuba as she peeked her out a bit as well.

"He's talking with the leader from LMKN."

"He's conversing with a girl?!" she asked in a hushed tone.

She was just as surprised as I was.

"Yup. Better pick up the pace Foxy. If Leo can snag a girl this quickly, there's no telling how many girls will be drooling over big brother. Who knows? He might even get the really aggressive type that'll just drag him off somewhere so they can-"

I immediately stopped saying anything and looked at Foxy in shock as soon as I saw her hand clench the door frame and splitter it entirely.

"Wha-?! Oh no! Um..! Oh dear…"

"R-Relax… I got this…"

I don't get shaken up easily. Seeing Foxy crush the frame with her bare hands without even trying really? That scares the absolute shit out of me.

"Okay…"

I extended my hand and blanketed the frame with my white and black Aura, then snapped my fingers to force it to disperse. And voila, door frame good as new.

"There we go. Try not to break anything else, yeah?"

"I'm sorry…"

"No no, I kinda did cause that, so…yeah… Oh! He's coming back! Inside! Inside!"

Inuba and I quickly stepped inside and were just messing around with things, acting as if we were doing something.

"Ah! It seems as though you and brother got everything in order. Well done ms. Kitsukami." commented Leo as he stepped in and looked around.

"So Leo… When'd you become a ladies man?" I asked nudging him in the sides.

"W-What do you mean?"

"We saw you talking to that lovely outside. Bailey, was it?"

"Y-You saw nothing..!"

"Oh I saw everything. What were you guys talking about, huh?"

"Nothing. I simply asked if she was settling in nicely and the such and how her team is. She kindly responded everything was moving within expectations, and congratulated both myself and the rest of us for making it through as well. Then we spoke of the classes we would be taking and so forth. It would seem as though we share the majority of our classes together."

"Oho! Lucky you!"

"Please stop."

"What? This is a good thing! Now we have something to celebrate, so let's get some glasses and-!"

Before I could say anything else, the door quickly opened as my big brother charged on rough and roughly closed the door.

"Quick! Turn it on!" he said pointing to the black bar that was our HoloScreen TV.

"Why the rush?" I asked.

"Marathon, remember?!"

I gasped loud enough for all of them to hear me. I seriously can't believe I forgot the marathon.

I instantly spun around and brought up the holographic display of my HoloScroll and found the TV app that I had installed and pressed the power button. Within an instant, a 90 inch holographic display emerged from the black bar, already tuned in to the channel of interest with a countdown to under a minute left.

My big brother whipped out four white and black, leather bean bag seats and quickly moved them to the center of the room and hopped onto the center left bag while Foxy sat next to him on the outer left bag. Leo sat on the outer right bag, leaving the inner right for me.

Okay, "time" to be the coolest little sister ever now.

"Time be still!" I whispered as I snapped my fingers.

Everything around me turned grayscale and remained frozen. No one and nothing moved, not even the pigeons frozen in midair outside our window. Being able to stop time is freaking awesome. Unfortunately, my limit is thirty seconds before my time stopping ability dips into my Aura reserves. So within the thirty seconds I had, I opened the fridge and brought out a two liter bottle of soda for each of the four of us, our favorite ones respectively of course, and a few snacks, like giant bags of chips, cookies, etcetera. As soon as I had them in my hands I bumped my rear against the fridge door to close it and moved towards my two frozen-in-time brothers and our very fluffy friend, lying out our drinks and snacks in front of them before I too plopped atop my bean bag seat.

"Time resume!"

And with another snap of my fingers, time had resumed once again, and the three of them looked in front of them in awe and wonder.

I know, I know, I'm awesome.

"Thanks for that Ciel." said my big brother as he cracked open the massive two liter bottle of root beer.

"No worries. Now, let's get this viewing marathon started!"

* * *

 **The Teams have been formed. The fun will now begin. These main teams I just showed you will be a point of focus throughout the story, especially since they'll be interacting with my characters a whole bunch. Like always, they too will have an important part to play in my story besides just being friends that just hang out with each other. Allies and the such through hard times and situations. Look forward to the greatness.**

 **So, to clear things up a bit, Team ELA (Niro Ezdeil, Anoel, Kitsuki Aeolus, and another member soon to join them) belong to the totally spectacular Xera Stark and his story Rogue Huntsmen, which this story is being written in tandem with events and happening in RH. That's not all, but remember Team Renegade/RGDS (Ray Chroma, Gabriel Stryker, Kyzal Drave, and Scarlet Rubine)? Well, they belong to the fairly new author HydraFlow and his story Lost in Binary. He, along with Xera Stark and myself are centering our stories happenings and events around each others, so in a sense, each of our three stories now is a kind of group effort. Just like you'll be seeing their characters a bunch in my story, you'll be seeing mine a bunch in theirs.**

 **That's all I have to say.**

 **So with that,** **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created. ****Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Of Storms and Uniforms**

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"Man, reliving the series, then the first episode was so kick ass! I LOVED IT!" shouted Ciel as she plopped on the bottom part of her bunk.

"Agreed." said Leonard as he tucked himself in on the bunk bed atop Ciel, "Reliving Samurai Jack's past glories and adventures made it all the worthwhile while we waited for the newest episode of the fifth season, which, did not fail in the slightest to entertain or impress. What did you think, brother?" He asked turning his head towards me.

"Definitely like the new Jack. No way was he going to stay the same after such a long time. Well Inuba, what about you? How did you like the whole four seasons and the first new episode?" I asked from the bunk bed below her.

I saw my partner peek her head out from above to look down on me.

"Well, I can certainly understand why the three of you very much enjoy this show. After all, I too enjoyed it. Especially interactions between Samurai Jack and the Scotsman."

"Ah, the Scotsman. Bless that magnificent manhax of a man…" I said.

"Dude's insults are top. I should take a page out of his book…" said Ciel.

"You're still pretty beneath his level of insults. Besides, Scottish method of insulting wouldn't fit you well."

"What, so what my way of doing things is good as is?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"If you say so… Either way, I'm gonna improve my witty remarks as I go."

"You'd rather improve that than anything related to school? I'm surprised Ciel. If you devote too much time towards that, you might end up losing our wager." cautioned Leo.

"I can do both."

"Are you so sure?"

"As sure as my right ankle."

"What? That doesn't-"

"Whatever dude. I'm gonna catch some z's before class tomorrow."

"Not like it would be beneficial or detrimental to us." affirmed Leo.

"Still, sleeping's cool. The dreams I have… Woah~"

"Something I'm sure we wouldn't like to see or hear of…"

"Besides, a fair young maiden like moi, who's still growing, needs her beauty sleep."

"How puzzling… If anything, I wouldn't use the word maiden."

Oh boy. Here we go.

"Secret technique… KILLER ASS KICKING OUT OF BED KICK!"

I watched as Ciel thrusted the heel of her foot upwards into the mattress above her with enough force to make Leo fly upwards and bounce out of his bed as he rolled onto the hardwood floor with a loud crash, followed by wicked-witch laughter from my younger sister.

"Knock it off you two. It's our first night here and I don't feel like getting a noise complaint so soon. Go to bed."

Leo looked like he wanted to say something, but I gave him the zip-the-lip hand gesture before pointing up to his bunk bed. Ciel continued her silent wicked-witch laugh until Leo grabbed the pillow from under her head and smacked her atop the face with it as he hopped back up onto his bed.

Ciel was satisfied with the results. Need for retaliation was unnecessary.

"Everyone ready for bed?" I asked.

"Yep."

"Indeed."

"Inuba?" I asked since she was the only one who didn't respond.

I heard her shuffling something down below before she responded, "Ready."

"Alrighty."

See, what I was about to do only took me five minutes to set up. Hopefully I don't get in trouble for tampering with the electrical system.

I clapped my hands twice, and immediately after doing so, all the lights in the room quickly faded.

"Ohohoho man! That is so freaking cool! When did you do this?!" asked Ciel.

"When you and Leonard were out buying food. Did a little rewiring and reprogramming, and voila, lights that turn off at the clap of our hands."

"Coolest big brother ever! Air high five!"

Ciel and I did give each other an air high five before we leaned back into our beds and closed our eyes for the night.

"Night everyone."

"Night." I heard the three of them speak in unison.

I have to admit. This is...nice… Going to school...again… Bunk beds… Little brother and sister here along with my trusty partner. What wasn't to like? That, and things were far less hectic than the norm on Primordial. For now anyway. There's no telling what nonsense we'll be involved in the future. But I'm confident we'll be ready to face it when the time comes.

In my case, it was going to be a really steep learning curve considering...well...I don't have my old powers anymore. So now I have to start from scratch and see what these new powers of mine can and can't do. I'm pretty sure I can replicate some of my old abilities and techniques. I mean, I know I can do it, I did so with my most used technique. It's still not as good as it used to be though. As is, Inuba can slice through it simply by chopping it with her hand.

Oh yeah. I almost forgot. "That" was the only thing that remained from my old powers. I guess it's something that'll never go away. Though from what I saw, it's evolved.

Speaking of which, that reminds me of something. When Kareina and Inuba helped me settle here, Inuba's mother decided to take a look at whatever was left of my old power, if anything at all. An extremely faint amount of Dark Essence from what she was able to sense. Dark Essence formed the core of my previous abilities, meaning my powers were of Dark Nature, which is extremely effective against all manner of living and undead beings. It's only weakness, or to be more precise, it's equal is Light Essence, effective against all things unholy and evil. Ironically enough, Dark Essence is its weakness. Perfect for killing each other, no?

Kareina explained to me that I've had dormant Light Essence within me, like my brother and sister. However, I wasn't in tune and balanced with it like Ciel and Leo, which is why they're the only ones with a perfect balance of the two. I was more in tune with my Dark Essence, hence why it formed the core of my powers instead of balancing out to use both at once like my siblings. Now that my Dark Essence has practically faded, it's given room for my Light Essence to grow and develop. I do hope it'll work out in the end. I mean, it might.

Others would at certain parts of my life and say "Gee golly Dante, you sure have a perfect life. You're good looking, you're smart, you kill giant, unholy, unspeakable and unheard of monsters that would usually melt my face off, and girls just totally love you."

I ought to stamp "idiot" on the foreheads of everyone who's ever said any of the above. There would be thousands of stamps. Okay, technically being smart and killing unholy creatures is very true. But believe me, my life has been anything but perfect.

You ever get that image in your mind where something is barely being held together by loads of straps of duct tape? That would be the best way to describe the happenings of my life as far as I could remember. At first, not a whole lot of duct tape was needed. But the last few years before I left my home World Primordial, I'd probably went through hundreds of rolls. Figuratively speaking of course.

Brief periods of happiness is all I ever had really. Which is why when I have a good thing going for me, I secretly wonder when the next train wreck is bound to happen. Hours from now? Days? Weeks? Months? It's the one thing I've never been able to figure out.

Hrrmmm… There I go depressing myself again. I should seriously stop thinking about those kinds of things.

I turned my focused gaze from the ceiling to my siblings, seeing them sound asleep. Ciel was muttering incoherent gibberish, as per usual, and Leo...well… It looked as though he wrapped himself with his bedsheets. Literally, he looked like some sort of bedsheet mummy. Either he sleeps that way or Ciel stopped time at one point to quickly wrap him up like that. I'm assuming it was Ciel. It's the sort of prank she'd pull for sure. Either way, he's gonna wake up really surprised.

As for my partner? I shifted my body to the right so I could peek my head over in an upside down fashion. Considering it was Dark, my Shadow Eyes were active, allowing me excellent visibility in the Dark by highlighting every corner, edge, and gap in glowing white. Though in the case of people, they looked like a grayscale version of how they normally would without with my Eyes active.

It was like staring at a beautiful painting in the museum given my sight currently. See, the only exception to my greyscale sight of people using my Shadow Eyes has always been Inuba. She retained her normal colors, however, she had a more...incandescent glow to her now. Well, "now" would be inaccurate. Whenever I did use my Shadow Eyes and looked at her, she'd have a brilliant white glow emitting from her. It was...well...breathtaking for starters. And pretty bright. But now that she was asleep, the usual bright glow was now a soft, dim, peaceful light. It was pretty soothing really. Plus, the way her fox ears twitched in her sleep was pretty cute.

Well, seeing as everything was in order, I leaned back into my pillow and let out a deep breath as I closed my eyes, ready to rest for the night.

You know, I think things just might go-

A thundering crash echoed outside our windows, virtually shaking them as the sound lasted a good few seconds.

What in God's green Cthulhuean Earth was that?!

The thundering echo sounded off once more, only this time accompanied with a streak of jagged gold light.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Please tell me I'm imagining this…

Another thundering echo and flash of light, this time occurring continuously multiple times for a few seconds, forcing me to hide my head under my blanket.

Fuck me and fuck my stupid fucking subconscious..! Of all the things, why lightning and thunder?! What sick joke is this?!

Another flash and echo made me jump, forcing me to try and cover my ears to block out any noise.

I swear… If ever I figure what's caused this…

Another flash and another earth shattering echo made me plant my forehead to the wall on my left, a dull thud lost in the noisy storm. I don't have any headphones with me… Tonight is gonna really suck… It's gonna suck more than every other time I've been shot, stabbed and whacked at. And while not being able to feel pain from all those incidents, it still feels a tad bit uncomfortable, like if you wore a thick sweater to the beach. Or if you went skinny dipping in ice cold water.

Mother Nature, you are a very cruel bitch at times. I love you and respect, but also despise you for the nonsense you've put me through over the years. And now is the time I despise you the most. Like any other time you decide to throw a storm my way. Thanks! Pretending like it's not there really isn't going to help. Not. In. The. Slightest.

Great. I'm screwed….

…

Or at least...I thought I was.

I felt something pressed against my back. More specifically another back against mine. I was so out of it that I didn't even realize someone crawled into my bed. And given that something warm and fluffy just wrapped itself around my waist, I had a pretty good idea as to who. Still, didn't hurt to check.

"I-Inuba?!" I whispered in surprise.

Calling her name seemingly made her jump a bit.

"Y-You're awake…"

"C-Clearly I am..! What are you doing here?!"

"Um…sleepwalking..?"

My left foot sleepwalking…

"I… I've known for some time now, Master…"

"K-Known what..?"

"Of your subconscious fear…"

"That's silly… I don't-"

"There were oblivious signs of it over the years. At first, I didn't think all too much of it. It wasn't until recent years that it became more apparent that you were not appreciative of thunder storms, or enemies that utilized lighting. There was always a sign of you trembling, but as usual, you did well to hide it as best as possible."

…

"I just don't understand why you hide your feelings so much…"

"It's not to look tough, believe it or not."

"No, I didn't mean-"

"I know. Better to say it either way. I just don't like making people worry about me. And I especially don't like making my problems anyone else's. It's not that I don't trust others or rely on them, I just don't like pushing my problems onto them is all."

Another streak of lightning and crashing boom of thunder made me jump slightly as I gritted my teeth and bared them momentarily, closing my eyes once more in some weak hope of blocking everything out for the moment.

"It's alright Master… I know you think it's troublesome if others are involved with your problems, but it's not always the case. Others like me are more than willing to help you, no matter the situation. So...never be afraid to ask for another's help or accept it."

"I know."

Still doesn't mean I like doing it…

"So...why are you in my bed?"

"I...well… The storm awoke me...then I thought you might be awake as well… And seeing as storms agitate you greatly, I thought I should come up here and make sure you were alright by staying close to you."

I won't lie. I felt more relaxed knowing she was right there behind me. But that fact was also an issue as to why I could feel my heart beating rapidly. We were literally back to back right now. That, and her fox tail had a firm hold of my waist. Then, I felt what I assumed to be her hand brush up against my leg.

"Ah..! I'm sorry..! I though your hand was there, and I...well…"

"I-I get it… So…"

I slowly moved my hand back towards hers, our fingers tapping one another. Not a second later did Inuba firmly grab hold of my hand, her soft and delicate fingers wrapping around my own. It didn't take long for me to the same, having an equally firm hold of her hand as I continued staring at the wall in front of me. I wasn't able to say anything really. Except…

"Thank you." I managed to whisper out against the noise of the raging storm outside.

I heard her let out soft giggle as I felt her fox tail around me tighten slightly, bringing me ever so closer to her.

"You're welcome Master. Now…"

I felt my eyes slowly close themselves as everything around me in the world had gone silent, Inuba's voice the only thing I could hear as too did my consciousness begin to drift.

"Sleep peacefully."

* * *

I...actually slept through a storm for once… It's...kind of hard to believe… You know how when cats really get scared of something and leap up and latch on to the ceiling? That would be me normally during any period of time there's a storm with thunder and lightning. Last night though? I actually slept in peace thanks to my partners efforts to calm me.

Though...there was only a slight problem.

"Again?!" I whispered silently as I struggled to free myself from Inuba's grasp.

I don't know how, but at some point during the night, we had not only managed to swap positions, but now she had me in another full body hold, only this time I was positioned slightly below her head, which meant the back of my head was firmly being pressed against her chest.

Considering I as struggling to get free, didn't notice until now how my little sister was grinning and giggling at me like a fool.

"Late night?" she asked with a coy smile.

"Please, you need to help me Ciel."

"I don't know big brother… From where I'm standing, it looks like you're in heaven right now… I mean, in your case, she's like the ultimate boob pillo-"

"Look, I just remembered something I have to go do! And I can't go do that because of this! So please, help me out!"

"You know, if you keep avoiding happy mishaps, people will think you-"

"That isn't the case and you know it!" I whispered while slightly raising my voice.

"I know. I was just messing with you." she then raised up her left hand and snapped her fingers while saying "Time be still."

Within the second she said that, I did indeed find myself free from Inuba's grasp...again… Only now, I was standing on the ground posing like a ballerina.

"Really with this?" I asked as I stood normally now.

"Sorry sorry, I had to. So what's this thing you got to do?"

"Don't know. Ozpin said he wanted to see me before classes today to pick something up from him."

"Classes?!" Said Leo rising up from his slumber in surprise, forcing us both to shush him.

"I have to go pick something up before then. So you two keep it down and don't cause trouble."

"Understood. Wait… What manner of nonsense is this..?" asked Leo as he quickly rotated his body around, unable to move his arms.

He was still wrapped up like a mummy. Ciel and I couldn't help but snicker at his predicament as he struggled to free himself without ripping apart the sheets.

"Ciel, you little devil..!"

My little sister simply shrugged her shoulders with a coy smile before bumping the side of her hip against mine to force me towards the door.

"Well come on, we don't have all morning. Go do whatever. We'll wake Foxy in the meantime after I unwrap our egg roll sibling."

"Thanks." I said.

I quickly put on my black slippers and left our room, taking a quick look around.

Wow...people aren't up at this hour? Then again, my siblings and I are freaks of nature when it comes to whether we need sleep or not. We don't need it, so basically it's a relaxing activity for us. Either way, I for one shouldn't be questioning anyone's sleeping activities.

On my way until to Ozpin's office, I did see a few students who were up and wandering around, whether they were going to their classes, breakfast, or simply hanging out. Of course, first day of school, some are going to like to sleep in before sleep doesn't exist in their schedule anymore. Potentially.

Right… Turn around here and...an elevator. I was expecting an office but...cool..?

I pushed the buttons and the doors opened immediately, allowing me to step inside before I pressed what I assumed to be the button for the top floor; very likely Opzin's office as well. I did wonder what was at the top of the tower. Guess I know now. The only thing I did hate about my ride up was the elevator music; not a big fan of it. At all.

"Top Floor." responded a computerized voice as I felt the elevator come to a slow halt.

The doors opened up, and from the distance, I could see Ozpin working away on his Scroll before he raised his head up and noticed me.

"Mr. Dante. Thank you for joining me this morning. Coffee to start the day?" asked Ozpin as he raised up a silver pouring container.

"I feel like I'm underdressed for the occasion." I said motioning my hands to my pajamas.

"Nonsense. There's no such thing in the case of early morning coffee."

"Alright then." I said sitting in the chair in front of his desk.

Ozpin moved a cup full of coffee towards me along with a tray of sugar and a small container of cream, both of which I partook from to place in my coffee. I always did like coffee. And the different flavors and brews of it. And I have to say, this brew was outstanding. But I wasn't here simply to enjoy a morning brew. Whatever it is Ozpin called me in for, it has to be important.

"Now, the reason I called you in this morning was to personally hand you your new school uniforms."

…

What now?

"We had to make customizations in the case of ms. Kitsukami's uniform given she has a fox tail. Ironically enough, a few majority of our Faunus students posses tail like appendages."

"So...you called me up here this morning...just to give me coffee, thank you for that by the way Headmaster, and to give me our school uniforms?"

"Precisely, yes."

I simply shook my head and took a sip of coffee before accepting the large box he handed me, prompting me to take a quick look inside.

Not bad. I've had better school uniforms, but…this will do.

"That, and ms. Kitsukami, Inuba's mother, sent you a package as well. I thought it best that it come into your possession as soon as possible." he said as he slid another box across the table towards me.

A package? Did we forget something at home?

…

Not quite. This… This wasn't at home when we left. Which means Kareina came into possession of this just recently…

What lay inside was a coat that I soon removed from the box, which unfurled itself as soon as I held it out with both hands. It was...amazing. It was a white button up coat with black lining and trim, where the tail end in the back was split in two, the split happening where my tailbone was. Judging by the length, when putting this on, the tails would reach my calves. By lifting up one of the tails, it revealed that the inner part of the coat that was colored entirely black. The coat also had a black collar and black lapels that reached the center of my chest. And from the looks of it, from the lapel on the left side of the coat spanned a longer length of cloth that would completely cover my entire abdominal region. And on the side that the longer span of cloth would cover were three black-metal kite shaped buttons that would close the coat. From the waist down, there was no material covering the front. From what I noticed of the sleeves, they were tight, almost like a long sleeved shirt rather than wide like a normal coat.

"My my, what a splendid gift to receive in the mail young man."

"Yeah… No kidding…"

I looked the coat over once more before folding it back up. But before I could place it back inside the box, I noticed an envelope inside with my name on it, prompting me to set the coat aside and open the letter.

"Dearest Dante. This coat recently came into my possession as soon as you left for Beacon Academy. It was addressed to you and only you. And so I thought it best that this coat came your way as soon as possible. Do not worry, it will not harm you in anyway in case you were suspicious. I too was suspicious at first, but after thorough examination with my magic, I deemed it safe for wearing. In fact, I would recommend wearing it. Do you remember your previous garb whenever you activated your old powers? This coat works in the same manner your old garb did by enhancing your defenses and your resistances significantly, offering superb protection against all types of magic and elements. It also boasts significant protection against physical attacks well. I assume you of all people known what this coat is made of. Wear it proudly Dante. On the other hand, you left this behind on your desk. I'm assuming it must have slipped your mind when leaving, but I would implode you to never leave it behind or forget it again. Keep it with you always from now on. I hope you've all settled in wonderfully. Call back every now and then on weekends when possible so I can see for myself how all of you are doing. Enjoy your time at Beacon. With great love and hope for success, Kareina."

What did she mean? What did I leave behind?

Turning the envelope upside down, something fell into the palm of my hand. Something I immediately recognized.

My ring.

It was a fairly simple thing really. The rectangular stone set in the metal band was obsidian black with numerous diamond shaped patterns cut into the stone. In the center of the stone was a small white metal shield crest with a black background that had the letter "A" in white colored metal etched into the black background of the shield crest. The rectangular metal surrounding the ring stone, as well as the metal band, was colored pure black with intricate white colored etchings carved into the band.

I slipped this ring on my left index finger and gazed at it momentarily.

My siblings had stoneplate rings looking exactly the same, only, the metal bands and metal surrounding the rectangular stones where white metal with black etchings.

From what I saw out of the corner of my eye, Ozpin was quizzically staring at my ring as well with interest. I wonder why…

"Well then, that's all I have for you today mr. Dante. I do hope you enjoy your first day of classes."

"Pretty sure I will. Thanks by the way for, uh, these." I said raising the box of uniforms after finishing my cup of coffee.

"My pleasure mr. Dante. Enjoy the day."

I couldn't help but feel he was being overly nice to me. Not like in a creepy way or anything, but he's being far more nicer than he should be. Who knows? Maybe Beacon Academy is a far more caring administration than I thought originally. I have no reason not to trust him so far. But I still won't entirely remove the possibility just yet. As more time passes, I'm sure I'll be able to fully trust him.

But for now, I'm going to take these back to our dorm. Classes do start in a few hours. Best to be prepared.

* * *

"Leo? What are you doing out here?" I asked stopping outside our door to see my brother leaning against the wall, tapping his finger against his arm.

"I've been kicked out until they're done dressing themselves. They're actually waiting for you to deliver the uniforms. Which I'm assuming is inside the box?"

"Uh, yeah. Here, move over."

I knocked on the door three times before saying, "Sepcial delivery!"

"Crap! He's back already!"

"W-What do I do?! Ciel?!"

"Everything alright in there?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah, everything's under control. Just a small malfunction! Damn it Foxy, your boobs are too big to fit in this one!"

What the hell is going on in there?"

"Here! Just give me the box!"

The door opened slightly as I saw Ciel's hand burst out, making a grabbing motion. As soon as I placed the box on here hands, it's disappeared back inside along with my sister as the way was shut once more.

"They do realize we also need to be ready as well, yes?"

"Yeah, but rule of common knowledge, girls take a bit longer for whatever reason they have."

"I swear Foxy, other girls are probably gonna want to kill you or something…"

What's this about killing?

"Wait, no!"

"Come on! Get your fluffy tail out there! The world is your apple! Apple? Banana? Cheese?"

"It's oyster, Ciel." Leo called back as he remained leaning against the wall, eyes closed.

"Oyster, yeah, that's the one. Now get out there!"

The door swung open, barely missing Leo. But that wasn't the biggest problem. Along with the door swinging open, Inuba burst out towards me. Option A, she was likely to fall over. Option B, I catch her, but with some considerable consequences to my sanity.

Option B it is.

Before my partner could fall to the ground, I quickly stood in her path and caught her. But as I did, her chest made impact with mine, making my arms lose strength slightly, but not enough to accidentally drop her.

Our eyes meet momentarily, but I couldn't help but glance over her once in her new uniform. A red plaid skirt, full length black stockings from what I could see, and a black jacket with a tan vest and white shirt with a red ribbon tied at the collar. Quickly looking behind her, I could see her white fox tail swishing about rapidly as she kept her hands on my shoulders for support.

"T-Thank you...Master… Huh? M-Master?"

See, my mind was working perfectly fine at the moment. I could think clearly and form basic coherent thoughts at the moment. But my stupid face and stupid body wasn't reacting the way I was telling it to, save for my eyes that slowly drifted off towards the side to avoid her endearing gaze. I honestly can't handle it. Not in situations like these. My restraint to not do something is failing by the second.

"I-I-I need to get ready and s-stuff…"

Brilliant. Master of words Dante. Excellent work.

Idiot.

I only managed to stagger inside and close the door before Leonard could get inside. There must be something seriously wrong with me…

I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down and clenched my fists. The cold metal ring around my left index finger reminded me of its presence, prompting me to stare at it. And just like that, I was calm again. My mind was clear, and I felt focused.

Good. I needed to start the day one way or another. First day of school and all that.

Crap.

I just remembered we have to wear uniforms. Well, hopefully they'll be a bit lax with what I have in mind.

* * *

 **Sorry guys, short for time right now, but one announcement. You know how my update schedule is every two weeks (Friday or Saturday for KoWaB, Saturday or Sunday for VotA)? Unfortunately I have finals exactly 2 weeks from now. Then...a long 19 hour drive back home. I need my car for the Summer...so... But yeah, no KoWaB or VotA two weeks from now on the weekend of May 12th-14th. Sorry, but I gotta study and take the longest freaking nap ever when I get home. I will promise you however a release for both stories on the weekend of the 19th-21st, so don't worry about that.**

 **Right then. That's all I have to say. So with that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created. ****Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Of First Days and Combat Classes**

«»

 **(Inuba POV)**

Classes so far have been...interesting. Not exactly the same as a normal school in Primoridal, where usually you would be learning of mathematics, languages, sciences and so forth. So far, we had a Grimm Studies class where the professor, Ms. Port, a rather attractive professor mind you, gave a simple introduction to the class. Or rather, the introduction wasn't so simple. It started as a discussion of what sort of topics we would cover throughout the semester, but then it somehow transitioned into a conversation about his previous adventures, cabbages, and his grandfather.

I won't lie, but it was fairly...disinteresting. I would have preferred working on reports and document from our clan really. Leonard was the only other person who was unfortunately paying full attention to ms. Port's...extravagant adventures alongside me. Master and Ciel only glanced up on occasion, for they were busy playing their game Phantom Souls. Normally, Master would never do such a thing. Usually he knows better. But like on the mind of the majority of the students, if the weren't busy ogling ms. Port, there was nothing of true interest to learn about. I suppose maybe a lesson or two from the stories she was telling us, but even then they were minimal at best.

Our next class was on Field Aid by professor Peach, something the four of us particularly paid attention to. Although my magic allows me to heal a vast variety of injuries and illnesses, it was still best to learn basic necessities in the event I would be unable to use my magic. Master has no variety of healing magic, so he paid special attention alongside me. Even during the lecture, we were comparing different notations between us secretly since we couldn't speak out loud.

I never attended Master's school unless for the occasion he forget to bring lunch and I delivered it to him. Or when the school clubs required assistance with a matter. Even so, he taking the time to educate me after school was...well...something I enjoyed.

A smile curled up on my lips as I remembered the numerous times he would dress as a male teacher. Glasses or no glasses, Master still looks very handsome…

W-What am I thinking about…

I could feel my cheeks flush a bit as I realized I was staring into the bowl of noodles the four of us ordered for lunch. Ciel and Leonard were discussing a plethora of silly things, courtesy of the younger sister. And yet oddly enough, Master rarely spoke. It was as if he were absorbed in thought about something.

"Master? You've barely touched your food."

"Hmm? What?" He said snapping out of his trance.

"Your food Master. Lunch will be over soon enough. And the noodles won't simply disappear just by staring at them."

"Uh right. Sorry. Was just thinking about stuff."

"And what exactly was our genius brother thinking of?" Asked Leonard with a coy smile.

"The snarkiness. I like it." He replied to his younger brother.

Leonard simply gave a nod of the head as he returned to eating his noodles. Personally though, I too was somewhat interested in whatever caught his attention.

"So, what's on your mind big brother?" Asked Ciel.

"Well… I was thinking…"

"Mhmm?"

"It's pretty warm outside. And I just realized...I only have long sleeved shirts."

"So..?"

"Should I go buy sleeveless shirts? Or t-shirts? I just can't decide…"

…

I see. It was something that simple. Although capable of irrational and complex thought, even Master has his moments of silliness. What we might interpret as silly or minor could be entirely opposite in importance for him. For instance, we may be discussing how to deal with an assignment, and he at times may be thinking which brand of cereal to buy next. Though I do admit, I enjoy his silly moments and slip ups. It's a rare thing to see now and then considering his motto of "doing it right the first time" and such. Normally, he's very serious about any task we're undertaking. But it's as I said, he too has his moments.

"Come on man, it couldn't have been just that. Weren't you thinking of anything else? Like I don't know, something dirty maybe?

"What? No."

"Aha! Too quick to respond there! Which means you were thinking of something dirty!"

"No, I actually wasn't."

"Be honest, you were thinking about doing sweet somethings to that totally buxom professor-"

Before Ciel had another moment to speak, Master had immediately grabbed one of the apples we received for lunch and lodged it in Ciel's mouth, effectively muffling her words.

"I wasn't thinking anything like that. I seriously was just thinking about shirts. Well, that and what cereal I should buy next."

See?

"Man… You like cereal as much as you love graham crackers…" Ciel said after removing the apple from her mouth, only for her to take a bite out of it.

"Cereal's tasty."

"I have a feeling that wasn't the only thing you were thinking of." Leonard added, "Were you by chance thinking of the next class?"

"Our next class?" I asked.

"Combat class, yo. A class where we get to mop the floors using the bootays of other students."

"Are you perchance worried you won't be able to adjust your strength accordingly?" asked Leonard.

"No, that's not it…" spoke Master, "I can scale down if necessary."

"Then..?

"If you think about it, we've skipped schools like these for younger aged people. We don't exactly know the rules and such, so in a sense, we'll kinda be walking in blind. So what I was thinking of is that it's standard duel rules with the extra addition of Aura in play. Then again, I could be wrong. I'd rather we know what exactly we're stepping into before we step in it. Get what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, I guess." said Ciel.

Very typical behavior of Master. Always wishing to know more. And if there is anything that has my Master's interest, he will make it his duty to completely understand it. It's more of a habit really than some sort of compulsive or obsessive disorder. Master isn't too fond of making mistakes. At least, not when regarding important matters. His literal process of ensuring this is creating a contingency plan for his contingency plan when his contingency plan fails, that way, "he will never be caught with his pants down around his ankles", as he says. His ways are strange, yes, but he usually means well. Other times seeing him so absorbed in thought is quite...captivating for me…

I always wish for him to be forward with his thoughts and feelings. He is, but not as much as I wish he would. He still hides many things from me. From all of us really. Even so, there are still times I can understand what it is he is thinking. A sort of situational mind reading of sorts. Lately it's become harder to hear what he's thinking.

Is our connection-?

"So are we done for the day after Combat Classes?" asked Ciel.

"Nope. We have history with professor Oobleck, and afterwards outdoor survival with professor Caza. Heard a lot of good things about her recently." said Master.

"Like~?" teased Ciel as she slid closer to her brother.

"Like she's a good teacher. Now eat your food you little munchkin. We only have five more minutes before we need to get going."

"Fiiine."

At that moment, I watched Ciel quickly begin to devour whatever morsels of food she had left while Leo continued eating normally, finish soon after. Master and I had already finished our meals, so we were already set to leave. That and neither of us really ate much. For Master, it was the case that he, like his younger siblings, do not require to eat food to survive or live. The same for drinking liquids as well. In my case...well...a bit more of a personal reason…

"Ready now?" Master asked everyone.

"Totes." said Ciel, "Let's boogey!"

* * *

"Why are you so reserved about eating Foxy?" Ciel asked as she finished buttoning her up her sleeveless white blouse, sipping up her black skirt afterwards, "I mean, it's not like you have to watch your figure or anything. If anything, you exercise more than enough to make sure something like that would never happen. I get you want to look good and everything, but sheesh, don't starve yourself. Treat yo'self girl!"

"I understand Ciel." I replied with a smile, "But I'm not starving myself just for something like that."

I finished wrapping together my white sleeveless kimono that ended at my waist and tied it off with a black sash, where the ends dangled on my side. I then finished zipping up my black skirt and put on my separated white sleeves that were wide over the skin tight black sleeves, then readjusted my white thigh high socks. I checked to see if my shoes were tied and then twirled around once nodded to myself.

"Ready."

"Oho! Looking sexy as always Foxy." said Ciel as she playfully bumped the side of her hip against mine, making me move off to the side a bit.

I decided to retaliate and did the same as she did with a smile as we exited the locker room towards the combat arena in the Auditorium.

"Come on Foxy. Just out with it already."

"O-Out with it?"

"Yeah! Just go in there and say 'Dearest Dante! Oh how long I loved and adored you! Please be mine my dearest! Please allow me to one day bear your chil-!"

I immediately slapped my hand over Ciel's mouth as I shut my eyes out of pure embarrassment, my facing growing hotter each time I replayed her words in my mind. Her muffled laughter was all I could hear from her behind the cover of my hand.

"I could never manage to say something so embarrassing..!"

"Who knows, he might just love how direct and forward you are. If anything, that's bonus points!"

"Bonus points..?"

"Uh, yeah? I mean, have you ever wondered why he buckles under pressure each time when a totally hot chick is so direct with him? He's a sucker for the assertive type!"

"Assertive type…"

It seems I may just have a new method of approaching Master about my feelings for him...

"So...be more aggressive with my actions and words is what you are saying?"

"Yeah! Be more sexy about it too so he can't take his eyes off you! Make him look your way and only your way!"

"That might be a bit difficult given the general appearance of both students and faculty…"

"Alright, yeah, I won't lie. The majority of girls and women here are pretty freaking hot, so you have hella competition. Heh, I thought professor Goodwtich was literally the hottest in the school, but putting you two side to side, you definitely have bonus points in comparison."

"Those bonuses being..?"

"The fox ears and fox tail? Come on Foxy, keep up."

"R-Right… Eh?! W-W-W-Wait! H-How are they bonuses?!" I said clutching my fox tail in my hands and folded my ears against my head to hide them.

"Extra cuteness factor. That, and man, your hips and butt are way sexier!"

I tried to use my tail to hide said hips and rear as I could feel my blush growing more intensely.

"Come on Foxy. Stop doubting yourself. Build up some sexy tension between the two of you...then pow!"

I jumped a bit after she said that.

"Take him and claim him for yourself! Then you know, be free totally get frisky with one another."

"C-Ciel!"

"Relax. I'll make sure to put a little 'Do not disturb' sign up on the door."

I can't believe she's doing this to me… And so easily as well..! She knows my mind strays towards rather...inappropriate thoughts at times… I just can't help myself..!

"Chill out. If anyone gets handsy with big brother, I'll swat them away. Even if it is a teacher keeping him after class for 'private lessons'."

"C-Ciel!"

"Alright alright, I'm done for today."

We entered inside the auditorium together and looked around for any sign of Leonard or Master, finding the two of them towards our right. Leo was dressed in his normal attire. As for Master, well...he was simply wearing a light gray cotton fabric hoodie and grey jeans. That, and his usual black shoes with white soles.

I could only internally sigh with a smile at my Master's decision to wear his normal clothing. They could get torn. Or worse, ripped apart.

Ripped apart.

Ripped apart…

No no no, stop!

"Foxy, you're kinda drooling. Did you have a naughty thought just now?" asked Ciel.

"W-What?! No! I..!"

"Hehehe… You're too easy to mess with in it comes to big brother Foxy."

Do understand what I mean now..? She always does this…

But, Ciel has a point now and then despite her...comments and actions. It's just...difficult to approach him. I just...don't want him to see me any differently than he does now for any reason.

"You both surely took your time." said Leonard.

"Shut up dweeb. Us delicate flowers take more time."

"Yes… You surely are...delicate…"

Leonard is usually subtle with his remarks towards Ciel. Though some days, I have a feeling he simply abandons his more reserved side in favor to be humorously snarky. His retorts can be witty at times. Although, nearly none match Ciel.

"Have any started yet?" I asked.

"None yet. We're still waiting for a few. During the meantime, Leo and I were working on Oobleck's essay assignment from yesterday. We'll help you out later if you need it." said Master.

"No thanks. And DorkMaster supreme is gonna have to sit in the corner." replied Ciel.

"And why is that?" asked Leo in return.

"Our bet, remember? We can't help each other and we can't ask for help from big brother."

"I remember the boundaries of our bet Ciel. I was just hoping you would. Remember, our essay is due soon." he said with a smirk.

"Yeah yeah…"

"Alright you two, save it for later. Class is starting." said Master.

"Good evening everyone." said Ms. Goodwitch entering into the room, "I will be your Combat Instructor for the semester. Here you will learn the basics of combat to be used both against Grimm and potential battles between Huntsmen and Huntresses, or those of a similar humanoid variety."

"Do you think there are rogues outside of the kingdoms?" I whispered only by slightly turning my head towards Master, keeping my eye on our professor down below.

"Very likely. You and I did run into a few bandits now and then whenever we explored outside the mountain village. Of course, they weren't well trained fighters like Huntsmen and Huntresses are. If you think about it, a battle between Huntsmen and or Huntresses should be almost similar to a battle between Higher Beings, like Yōkai or Dark Entities or Angels or any Mystical Creature of the sorts. Where as we called the energy we used back on Primordial Soul Energy, they call it Aura here, which in a way, is the actual term for that source of power. Anyway, to sum it up, a battle between Higher Beings like you and I involves not only strength, skill, and intelligence, but Aura as well. Whereas you and I have more direct means of attack with our Aura, others don't, or rather, have different purposes." whispered Master.

"Such as creating illusions, or using Aura to create varying defensive barriers." I spoke, understanding his point.

"Pretty much. Basically, we just have to apply everything we already know to what's used here in Remnant. Although, for Combat Classes, we'll have to scale our abilities down a bit since we're more towards the destructive persuasion. Well, that's a least concerning offense."

"Of course. Especially since you learned 'that' technique."

"Yeah."

"Are you sure it was wise to remain in your uniform for the most part? What if they get ruined?"

"Won't be a problem. Pretty much none of these guys would be able to hit me. Save for that guy uptop."

I saw Master nod his head left, up towards a figure in the higher sections of the seats in the Combat Auditorium.

"That is…Niro Ezdeil if I recall correctly. Master, I don't understand. You have nothing to fear from him whatsoever. His Aura reserves are lower than yours."

He looked at me as if he were confused by my statement. It was true however. Comparing their Aura Signatures, Master's was at a higher rate. So why was he so concerned about this Ezdeil character? Did he perhaps know or take note of something I didn't? Or rather couldn't?

"Still, I wouldn't go underestimating him. I don't know all too much about him. In fact, nothing at all really. Needless to say, I'm sure he's full of surprises. If you do get paired up to fight against him, don't attack him as up close as usual. Use the majority of your ranged attacks and move in for a direct strike only when you can."

"And if you are the one who is paired with him?"

"I'll be fine. Besides, it's you who I'm more worried about than anyone else."

It felt as though my heart stopped and was abruptly jumpstarted again while the rest of my body went stiff, save for my fox tail as it quickly whipped about behind me.

"Y-You don't need to w-worry! I-I'll be fine!"

I let out a rather awkward chuckle as I stared straight ahead of me, trying to listen to the remaining part of ms. Goodwitch's lecture. Even so, I could still feel Master's gaze upon me for a few moments before he too returned his attention to our professor.

"Now that we've concluded the opening lecture, let us delve right into our first match."

As large monitor up above and directly behind ms. Goodwitch immediately lit up, the screen quickly shuffling through names randomly back and forth in a matter of milliseconds.

"Pick me pick me pick me!" whispered Ciel eagerly.

I only smiled at her momentarily before the screen drew my attention attention once more, my eyes quickly scanning the list of names as it continued shuffling them. And then...it stopped.

"Ray Chroma, please step forward."

Ah, I see. The boy with the beanie from the opening ceremony that was fighting over a bottle of champagne with his teammate. Judging by the look on ms. Goodwitch's face, she still was harboring murderous intent towards Ray Chroma given the...incident after the team formation ceremony. If I didn't know any better, it seemed as though she was hoping for someone strong to be matched against him in order to punish him. I wonder if it'll be Ma-

"Your opponent will be Inuba Kitsukami."

Oh.

Apparently that person will be me.

I awkwardly looked to Master, my facial expression telling him I'd prefer not to step forward. But he simply chuckled and nodded his head towards the stage where ms. Goodwitch and Mr. Chroma stood, the latter who was impatiently tapping his foot, standing with his arms crossed.

"You got this. Show them who's boss. But don't turn him into soup please. Or roast beef."

"I-I would never-!"

"Kidding, I was kidding."

I could only pout at his joke.

"Ms. Kitsukami?"

I heard ms. Goodwitch call out to me, drawing my attention towards the stage to see both her and mr. Chroma waiting. Although, it seemed as though he was far more impatient than ms. Goodwitch was. Honestly, why is he even here if he isn't really willing? It's clear he has no joy in being here.

Putting those thoughts aside, I quickly made my way down the steps, taking short glances at those around me. Many were smiling at me warmly, some staring at me rather inappropriately, which I assumed they were having rather lecherous thoughts, and of course, let us not forget Cardin Winchester and his group of deviants who gave me rather hateful and mocking glances.

Honestly… I'm not exactly a Faunus considering my nature as a yōkai, specifically a fox yōkai, or rather a Kitsune. Even so, I am considered the same. I'm fine with the idea, it doesn't bother me really. What does bother me is the prejudice Faunus suffer for no reason at all. Truthfully, humanity does have reason to be intimidated by Faunus kind, more specifically these...White Fang characters I have been hearing much about. But humanity here on Remnant did bring their wrath down upon themselves with their continuous unjust treatment of Faunus kind. In a sense, they brought this upon themselves.

I wouldn't want others to misunderstand; I hold no love for the White Fang or their methods. In fact, I preferred if they kept to their means of peaceful protest rather than violence. Understandably, they have their reasons. But murder? Even with the abuses they've suffered, taking the lives of others, especially in the cases where innocents are involved is never the answer. Continuous retaliation will only lead to more brutal retaliations and so forth.

"Ms. Kitsukami? Are you ready to start?" asked ms. Goodwitch as I now stood on stage.

Apparently I was spacing out for sometime...

"Come on fox, get with the program. I don't want to be wasting more time than I need to, so let's get this over with quickly."

"If you aren't aware and focused mr. Chroma, it will be over sooner than you think." I retorted.

"Oh cute; it has a temper." he replied.

"It"? How rude…

"That would be the last thing you'd like to experience."

"I've seen worse."

"Then clearly..." I said summoning my katana to the left side of my waist in a small burst of white flame, "You've yet to see anything 'worse'."

With that, he simply gave me a condescending smirk. He's honestly beginning to annoy me with his arrogance.

"Hey down there!" I heard my Master's voice from above, forcing me to quickly turn my head towards his general direction, "Keep it at the twenties level! Remember! No roast beef!"

I gave him a simple nod and then closed my eyes, allowing myself to "see" Ray Chroma's Aura.

Hmm… Above average at best. For now anyway. Slightly volatile. I won't exactly know more until I actually fight him. At least this will provide me an opportunity to learn most of his ways and methods.

"Oh? Is that your trained wrangler?" he called out to Master.

What on-?! I am no dog!

"Trust me Bean Bag" Master spoke with a smile, "making her angry is the last thing you'd ever want."

"How wonderful, I've been looking for a quick death. Thanks for the advice." spoke Ray.

His voice was...monotonous...as if it had no inflections whatsoever. Did he really not take anything to consideration of what was just said?

"Are the both of you quite finished?"

"My apologies…" I said with a bow.

I then turned to mr. Chroma and slowly unsheathed my sword, allowing him to take in the sight of the gleaming white blade as I now lowered it to my side, waiting for the signal to begin.

"Combatants!"

My fingers tightly grasped my katana as I stood in wait. Was he seriously not going to use a weapon against me? A decision like that isn't wise in the slightest. Then again, he may potentially possess a hardening skill that might reinforce his flesh in order to stop my weapon. That, or…

"Begin!"

Before I could move forward myself, Ray Chroma instead charged towards me. Let's see if my hypothesis was correct.

I quickly raised my sword across my body and stabbed in his direction, aiming for his left shoulder. But before my blade point could make contact with his right shoulder, bright Violet streams formed together in Ray's hands in the shape of a shortsword. By doing so, he used the flat side to block the point of my blade as I pushed him back on his heels slightly.

"Well well, seems like you can hit hard…"

He pushed back my blade and swung at me, again and again, but each swing was either redirected by my sword or simply dodged. From the force of attacks behind his blade, he's definitely stronger than the average human, even an average Huntsmen. More importantly however was the speed. His attacks were very quick and concise, all aimed at some potential weakpoint of my body, very likely to attempt to disable me.

I was not such an easy target as he assumed.

He made a stab for my arm, but I simply parried his blade and opened him up to attack. And so, I brought my sword down across his body to end the fight.

Or so I thought.

Bright Violet energy formed a sort of small barrier around his left arm, entirely blocking my attack and negating any damage as he forced away my sword and swiped for my chest. Strangely enough, I thought I had dodged back far enough to avoid his blade entirely. Instead, his sword had extended itself to move closer to my body, just barely missing my chest by mere centimeters.

Upon closer inspection, I could see the energy surrounding his left arm and the energy that formed his sword wasn't simply Aura, like I had originally thought it was. The shapes… And the way the streams flowed together continuously in one direction infinitely reminded me of an enemy Master and I encountered once. And because of that, I knew exactly what it was Ray Chroma was using.

HardLight.

Now that I knew, simply striking at HardLight wouldn't be a viable strategy of attack. Normally, at least. I still had my means of attack, all of which he knew nothing of.

My hand blazed with a small burst of white flame, where I then clasped the edge of my katana between my index finger and central finger, and rubbed them across the entire blade, cloaking it in white flame as well while the flames from my hand disappeared. With that, I grasped my blade with both hands and lowered myself in a stance, sword centered in front of me. This time, I would strike first.

I immediately lunged forward with intense speed, surprising mr. Chroma as I closed the gap between us in virtually an instant. I swiped at him from the side, forcing him to expand the barrier of HardLight around his arm to form a greatshield of sorts to cover the side of his body I was attacking from. This wouldn't save him.

Instead of negating my attack like last time, the second my swing came in contact with mr. Chroma's barrier, it immediately pushed him away off to my side, his barrier now severely cracked. One more strike would shatter his shield, but given the amount of force behind my last swing, his arm was more than likely suffering from the mistake of blocking. I could even see it twitching a bit.

Now wasn't the time to be pitying him.

I moved in with blinding speed, feeling the air rush by me as I speed to his side and struck at him once more. This time, he used both his sword and shield to block, effectively reducing the force of the attack before he swung back at me. Even so, I quickly engaged him once more after each of his attacks, and like I had done for most of the time, he decided dodging would be more appropriate whenever possible. But given the speed and quick succession of attacks I unleashed upon him, dodging was very much difficult.

I struck back at mr. Chroma in a rising upwards slash, forcing him to move backwards slightly to dodge. Thankfully he did as expected. He did indeed dodge my attack, but the amount of force I put behind it had enough power that it unleashed a small gust of wind, along with a small burst of white flame, which effectively put him off balance like I had hoped it would. And with that, I struck again at his shield high up enough to shatter it without cutting off his arm, shattering his barrier of safety into tiny pieces that resembled sparks from a roaring forge.

Now that his line of defense had been crushed a quickly spun my body around and delivered a swift and powerful side kick into his solar plexus, hearing him cry out painfully as I sent him flying backwards, the Aura shielding around his body also shattering from the power of my kick.

Thankfully against Ciel's suggestion, I was wearing my compression shorts underneath my skirt.

Despite that, I was hoping Master was watching… Can you see how brilliantly I'm performing, Master?!

I looked in his direction expectedly with a glint of eagerness in my eye, hoping for some form of praise while my fox tail whipped about slightly. He was indeed watching given that he was giving me the double thumbs up and a smile.

How wonderful..!

My attention immediately snapped to where mr. Chroma was as I heard something whish from behind me. I spun my body around and leapt backwards, watching as wires of HardLight nearly made contact with my body. They didn't directly harm my body, but they did manage to tear apart the front section of my sleeveless white kimono, revealing the skin tight black compression tank top I wore underneath that exposed my mid section. Instead of covering myself up entirely like how I had intended, I instead stood up, slightly shaking from embarrassment.

"Woah! Check out! She's totally stacked!"

"I know, right?"

My fox ears folded against my head from hearing such comments. Even if they sat so far away, I could still hear them well enough. Either way, whether or whether not mr. Chroma's attack was intentional was something I did not know. But given how aggravatingly rude he was, I wouldn't put it past him to try and embarrass me in whatever way possible. Especially since I saw him smiling like the festering cretin that he was.

I wasn't going to buckle from embarrassment like he was expecting. Instead, I was going to destroy him slightly.

I raised up my left hand with my finger pointing towards mr. Chroma, a small, crackling sphere of white flame building up at my fingertips. He simply smiled as he raised up his hands and spread them outwards, putting up a decently sized HardLight barrier between us. Little did he know, it wouldn't save him. The last attack I used to crack his barrier was simply a less powerful version of my flames coated around my sword. Now though, my attack of flame would be focused and far more powerful...as he was about to discover.

"KitsuneArt number four…FoxFire Piercer."

Within an instant, a small focused beam of white flame burst forth from the golf ball sized sphere of flame at the tip of my left finger, quickly shooting forth towards mr. Chroma's barrier and piercing through it immediately, as if it were tissue paper.

From the expression on his face, he certainly wasn't expecting my attack to immediately pierce through his barrier, considering he reinforced it for more durability. He tried shifting his body out of the way from my attack, but he wouldn't escape it completely unscathed. Instead of piercing through his shoulder like I intended, my FoxFire Piercer knicked the top of his right shoulder. But it wasn't so simple as that.

The sheer force behind the attack, even by simply grazing him, was enough to send him skidding backwards on his heels a considerable distance until he stopped himself from moving further by plunging his HardLight sword into the ground. When he looked up, he could not see me.

I was already behind him.

He spun around and try and find me, but I simply vanished out of sight in a blur of white, reappearing behind him and quickly dodged under his backhanded swing. Before he could send a full swing my way, I quickly caught his sword with my left hand and kept him in place, stabbing my sword into the shoes he wore. Given the fact he didn't cry out in pain, it means I successfully pierced my sword in between his toes.

I'm getting better at that technique.

I could swear he mouthed the words to me "You mother-!"

Before he could finish his crude sentence, I raised up my right hand and poked my right index finger directly into Ray Chroma's left shoulder, glaring at him as I spoke the name of my other technique.

"KitsuneArt number thirty three…"

It was my win.

"FoxFire Bur-!"

"Alright alright! I give!" He said raising up his hands in a form of surrender.

His sword rested in my left hand for but a few seconds until I squeezed and crushed it into pieces, removing my sword from his foot shortly after to allow him to stagger backwards.

I twirled my sword around twice and then sheathed it before I asked my question.

"You could have easily continued the fight given your abilities, and even possibly have escaped my trap for 're clearly stronger than what you presented yourself to be. That, and your Aura Signature clearly confirms that theory for me. Why did you hold back? Or rather, why did you throw the match?" I asked him.

"Who says this wasn't a victory for me? You can learn a lot more from a loss then you can from a win. And thanks to your temper and your sense of pride, I've learned a lot more through this than I could ever learn through a face-to-face conversation."

So he says…

"Besides...the only time I'll ever fight seriously is if something intends to kill me."

At least he has some decency to him…

"Oh, and you should cover up those ridiculous tits of yours." he said as he left, prompting me to gasp as I wrapped my hands around my body to hide my chest.

Immediately I moved from the stage and quickly walked up the steps, receiving compliments from most of everyone for my performance. It would seem as though Ruby Rose was mainly impressed with my sword being on fire and "shooting fire from my fingertips like a holy gun of awesomeness".

I think that's what she said word for word…

My main concern now was simply to change my kimono and-

"Heya. Good fight down there."

"O-Oh! Master! T-Thank you…"

"Um… So… I had Ciel get you another one of your kimonos…" he said presenting me one of my sleeveless white half kimonos with black edges, folded up nicely.

I found it very sweet, and rather adorable, that he did his best not to stare. But even so, I did notice how his gaze drifted between myself and the rest of the auditorium.

He's too cute at times…

I snapped to attention immediately and quickly put on the kimono and held tightly to the one that was torn.

I can't believe that happened to me…

I noticed Master's gaze fall back to back now that I was more...appropriately dressed and saw that he had a rather...slightly displeased look. As if I had done something wrong.

Fingertips from both of his hands gently pinched the tips of my fox ears as I gasped in surprise. Small, rather pleasurable, tingling shocks ran down from my ears throughout my body as I shivered slightly while he spread my fox ears side to side.

"You forgot something, partner."

"I-I-I did..?! Ah…" I squeaked out.

"I'm pretty sure you recall me saying stick up to the 20's levels of your KitsuneArts, right?"

"Y-Yes…" I replied softly.

"There's a reason for that you know. 30's levels is enough to turn anything to ash if you aren't careful, right?"

"R-Right…"

My KitsuneArts… Spells for offense, defense, and trapping and binding specifically tailored for kitsune. There's up to 50 levels of spells for each yōkai. Like how Crow Tengu have their own Arts, TenguArts. Or Oni with their OniArts. Each Spell is different for each type of yōkai, and as such, other types of yōkai cannot perform spells from another yōkai type's available spells. For instance, a kitsune can't use TenguArts, or a Crow Tengu cannot be able to use KitsuneArts.

"Look, I know he was...really deserving of becoming roast beef…", I giggled softly at the start of his sentence, "But still, we're a lot stronger than the average person here. Are we the strongest? Don't really know. But you do need to be careful with who you use the spells on. You never know when something can go wrong."

"I understand…"

"Good."

He then released the tips of my ears from the tips of his fingers, my fox ears folding against my head as I patted them down. I then felt his hand gently rubbing the top of my head, and unable to help myself, I only squealed silently while my fox tail whipped back and forth.

"Other than that, you did really really good out there. Way to show them who's boss."

"T-Thank you… M-Master…" I managed to sputter out as we made our way to our seats.

* * *

And…done.

I quickly shut off the grill and placed the cooked goods on a platter and covered them with glass lid and made my way out of the schools expansive kitchen.

To think they even had a grill… This definitely will make cooking everyone's favorite foods much simpler than going out to the store a buying a grill, then finding a place for said grill to cook food. Either way, I'm glad they made it more convenient for me. These are one of Master's favorites afterall.

"There you are. I was wondering what was taking you so long."

"Oh, Master! Weren't you upstairs working on your essay? And other assignments?"

"I just finished and came down to check up on you. Good thing you finished your assignments early too, huh?"

"Indeed." I said with a soft giggle.

"I swear, if you did go to an actual high school, you would've fit in perfectly. Heck, you'd probably have been our student counsel president."

"You think so..?"

"Yeah. I mean, you're effective and very efficient when it comes to your workload. I mean, I'm kinda lazy when it comes to my work load and getting my stuff done despite me being able to finish it all quickly. But you? Heh. You at least try to get your assignments done the day they are assigned."

"Well, I do enjoy free time when I have it. And what better way to have more free time than to complete your work as soon as possible?"

"True that."

"Besides, with your help in educating me, it does make things go far more smoothly whenever I do 'schoolwork' compared to the normal documents I had to view and process for my clan."

"Which, I imagine, weren't all fun."

"It did get...exhausting at times… But you did help me whenever you could and give input. You are a Lord afterall, so your input mattered as well when making decisions and the such. Your help definitely made handling such matters much simpler."

"Meh… I didn't do much."

"On the contrary, you did. You made life much more simpler. And...well...exciting…"

"Exciting huh..?"

He almost seemed to want to contradict that statement, something Master seemingly does every time whenever I say something good about him. I know he isn't one for fame or renown. It's not that he doesn't appreciate it, but...even with his words and actions, he feels as though it's wasted on him, as if he didn't really earn the praise despite the huge efforts he puts in.

But really, I think it's for another reason entirely.

In some ways, I think he sees praise something akin or close to worship, like how humans worship deities or gods. And, understandably, given his...experiences...he isn't someone who exactly agrees with their ideals or their methods. So in that regard, he would like to have no relatable feature to a god at all.

The only gods he does agree with are the ones my family and I worship. The Fox Goddess Inari, who in thanks to her champion, my Master, now presides over all the other deities. And just as importantly...the Demon Fox Goddess Dakini. Long before Master became Goddess Inari's champion, Goddess Dakini had made him her champion when he was but a young boy. And as such, she gave him tremendous power to protect those he cared for deeply.

But ever since the events three months ago on our world, Primordial, any trace of power from either Goddesses has long since vanished. And restoring such power isn't something that is done so...easily. Especially with the vast amount of power that stemmed and grew over the long years. His connection to them has vanished.

The last time mother attempted to make contact with Goddess Dakini, she was told that she would be leaving elsewhere for the time being to search for someone. Mother said it was likely because she had gone in search of her elder sister, Dakini, who has long been disconnected from the Heavens and The World's. Which begs the question then… How was she connected to Master for the time that she was..?

"You're kinda spacing out there partner. You alright?" he asked me as we continued walking down the hallway towards our dorm room.

"Oh yes, I'm fine. I was just...thinking…"

"Family again?"

"No, not this time. I was actually thinking about you."

"M-Me? Did I do something wrong? If I did I-"

"Oh! No, you didn't do anything wrong… It's just… I don't understand…"

"Understand what?"

"Well… This may be just me...but I'm certain you always avoid praise. Or rather, brush it off, as if you had no real part or did almost nothing."

"I see…"

"I was wondering why is that exactly."

"Well, to be honest, I'm not a big fan of attention or praise. Put it simply, I'm not in it for the glory, really. I just do what I do and that's it."

"Has anyone ever told you that your humility is outrageous?" I asked smiling.

"Being humble is one of the best ways to be is what I think. It's why I don't like bragging unless I'm joking around. Which is why if I'm ever bragging, it's because I'm joking."

"I see…" I said with a giggle, slightly hiding my face behind my hand.

"So, what did Miss Chef extraordinaire make today?"

"One of your favorites." I replied.

"Thanks to you, I have a lot of those now."

"Come now, it's nothing special…"

"Quite the opposite really. You're cooking… Well… It's just too fantastic words. And I'm someone who doesn't need to eat. Like at all. But eating your food is always the greatest."

"T-Thank you…"

Before we knew it, we stood outside our door, and Master opened the door for me to allow me through.

"Chow time! Hahahaha!"

Ciel jumped out of her bed and rushed towards me to see what I prepared, but was stopped by her older brothers hand in place.

"Today's dish is something to celebrate our first day here, and the future success we will have. As such, I prepared not only Master's favorite, but yours as well."

"No way!"

I simply smiled and removed the lid, showing what I had prepared for everyone.

"Today's special is grilled chicken and pineapple skewers."

"Incredible!" said Leonard as he grabbed a skewer and began to eat one.

"Best first day of school ever!" Ciel said before she went to work devouring her skewer.

"Here Master, some for you as well."

"Thanks."

He grabbed a skewer and spun it around quickly before proceeding to eat, nodding his head up and down with a pleased look on his face.

"It's excellent. Thanks."

"Y-You're welcome…! Hehehe… Heh…"

"You should have one too."

"Oh, I'm not hungry."

"You barely ate anything at lunch. You must have been really nervous or something today not to eat all that much."

"Well…"

Being nervous had some sort to play in it. Despite what Ciel said earlier, I still would like to watch what I eat.

"It'll make me feel better if you eat one at least."

"Well… If you insist…"

I set down the platter on one of the desks and picked up a skewer for myself and taking a bite. The sweet and slightly sour flavor from the pineapple mixed with the savory spices from the chicken made thirst treat extremely delicious… It left me craving for more to be honest…

I succumbed to my desire to have and took a few more bites.

"You do always know how to make really good food."

"As I said, it's nothing special really."

"No really, it is. I've told you before your food is magical. And so has everyone else who's ever tasted it really. If not, well, then they're a real sourpuss. Or just severely depressed."

"Or if you're Douchelord Ezdeil!" Ciel called over from the HoloScreen TV.

"Ciel." said Leo.

"What? The guy acts like a total douchebag. All 'I'm mightier than thou' and 'I can kill you with this thumb'!" she said in a French accent, "I mean, he totally could have whooped Xiao Long if he wanted to."

"Well, you aren't wrong about that…" reaffirmed Leo.

"Then the smug bastard forfeits to make it look like he has some common decency to him when he really doesn't. Personally, I don't think he gives a crap about anyone really. Like, he'll keep 'em around and 'play nice' by his definition so long as they're useful to him, but the second that stops…" she then snapped her fingers as she took another bite from her third skewer, "He'll just outright drop them."

That was...harsh to say the least. But Mr. Ezdeil hasn't exactly proven himself to be a sociable person. Or nice. It's as though he feels nothing and has no regard for anyone. Personally I think he just doesn't know entirely how to express himself, or rather, refuses to do so. As to why, well, that would have to be something to discover somewhere along the line.

"Eh, he's not all that bad Ciel. Who knows? He might just have some past issues and just isn't the open type. Whatever his problem is, you shouldn't make assumptions like that so quickly."

"Yeah yeah…" she said waving off Master as she continued watching the show on television.

He only sighed as he continued eating his skewer alongside me, the two of us sitting on the desk and watching the TV closely.

"Oh, your mom called earlier and said she has something to talk to you about on the weekend."

"A-Already? That was rather quick of her…"

"She said she had news but wouldn't say anything to me."

"Oh mother…" I said with a sigh.

"Inuba, your mom… Well...being honest here...she's like SuperMom."

"R-Really?"

"Definitely. She's taken such brilliant care of you and your siblings for years now, and, well...a nobody like me."

"Master…"

"Point is, she's an amazing individual. My other point is...well...she can be a bit shady at times, you know?"

I giggled at the comment.

"What?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm laughing a bit because it's true really. Despite how kind and respectable mother is, she can be very...crafty. Or shady, as you put it. She does have the right mindset for deception and infiltration, which indeed used to be her type of work years ago. But yes, while she can be 'shady' and sly at times, she still is, as you called her, SuperMom."

"That she is. Remember that one time we were getting our butts handed to us by that Dark Entity on Primordial during the whole Restraining the Black Knight incident? Never have I seen a woman, a mother no less, so silently furious. To put it politely, she just walked up and slapped the snot and brains out of him like that. While entertaining to watch, it was also...terrifying."

"Agreed. Which is why all of us were always on our best behavior at home. Still though...I wonder what it is she could possibly want from us so soon. Besides wanting to check in on us of course."

"Because we're all her precious little darlings." He said with a smile as he took another bite.

"The three of you may have no relation to us, but she considers you, Ciel and Leo a part of our family. And we will continue helping and watching over you all to the best of our ability."

"Thanks… For everything. For the recent months. For the months before we came here and…" He paused for a moment, staring intently at his skewer as he spun it around, "I owe you and your family a lot more than I can repay now. So if ever I can, one day I'll-"

"Nonsense. You don't need to do such a thing at all. We're looking out for each other, right? So there's no need for such things." I said finishing the last bit of my skewer.

"Shooting down my proposal to repay you guys? Again?"

"Of course. You're not allowed to repay us."

"I'm not allowed?" He asked pinching my cheek, "Where did you learn to be so cheeky?"

"From you of course." I said pinching his cheek in response.

He then poked me in the side, and I proceeded to poke him back until he stepped to the side in surrender.

"I'll be back soon. I'm going to see if they have blackberry pop at the student store. See you in a bit."

"Be safe."

"I'm always-"

Before he even had the chance to finish that sentence, I simply gave him a stare while he awkwardly stared back.

"Alright. Later."

And just like that, he quickly shut the door behind him. I brought the platter over to Ciel and Leo and offered them more skewers, which they gladly took and began eating.

"Did you two finish your homework?" I asked.

"What are you, our mom?" asked Ciel with her usual coy smile.

"For all intensive purposes, yes, I am."

"I'm okay with this. Are you okay with this?"

"Well, we do need order and structure." said Leonard.

"Don't we have big brother for that?"

"He isn't always reliable when it comes to order and structure."

"You think he makes things up as he goes?"

"Yes indeed…" I replied watching the action occurring on screen, only noticing that the two were staring at me in surprise.

It really wasn't much of a surprise really.

"What? His plan is usually to hit things until they die. Sometimes impromptu planning gets mixed into the process, but even then does that rarely happen."

They looked towards each other and simply shrugged their shoulders as we watched the television show together. There was some gunfire involved…but for just a moment...it seemed almost as though I heard a sort of gunshot outside our door. But...maybe the gunshots from television echoed out.

"Think you can make this skewers, like, once a week?" Asked Ciel.

"Since you like them so much, of course."

"Sweet! Thanks Foxy! Next we'll help out, yeah?"

"I think the cooking should be left to me." I said with a giggle.

* * *

 **Hiya everyone. Again. So...I'm not gonna give a long winded explanation as to why I've been gone...a month at least? Let's just say a month. The sparknotes version of this explanation is that I got home, had to sort through a lot of personal crap, so forth and so on. Point is, we're back on schedule, so hopefully, we can avoid another horrid time gap like this one. Really all I had to say here, so with that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created. ****Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Of Mystery Men and Cliffs**

«»

 **(Dante POV)**

Considering Ciel and Leonard where the two out of four of us that were younger, they had to attend a different class currently. And earlier than we did.

Hehe… Too bad so sad.

I waited outside our dorm room with two metal 10 oz. cup of coffee. Since Ciel and Leo had to start early, they were the first ones to leave. Since I was already up at the time, I was waiting for Inuba to wake up. She took a shower and came back, which then signaled my exit.

And so while I've been waiting, I went and grabbed the two of us coffee with our custom made cups. The metal was colored white, and had a rather cute, nine tailed fox etched in black on both cups.

Thankfully they fill up personal mugs.

For Inuba, I got her a simple mocha, since she likes those a lot. Me? I got this iced latte called "The Widowmaker" latte. At first I was expecting something maybe spicy, because usually anything that has a name like that is spicy. But no, it was actually a sweet surprise. No seriously, it's actually slightly sweet.

The Widowmaker was a sweet and simple thing really. Had the normal makings of a mocha mixed with some liquid Ghirardelli dark chocolate. And I think the other liquid they put in was something cinnamon flavored. Maybe it's called the Widowmaker Latte because the sweetness can kill you?

I only shrugged my shoulders and soon heard the door open, my partner exiting our room.

"Looking good, partner." I complimented.

"H-Huh?! Oh, t-thank you!" she said slamming the door shut.

"Easy on the door there."

"S-Sorry…"

"Here. Got you something to start the day." I said handing her a cup.

"Thank you." She said taking her cup, allowing us to move to our class.

I never thought to take a closer look until now, but Inuba actually looks good in that uniform. Especially with the black stockings that really make her legs look really go-

No no no. Focus. She's your partner. And we have class right now. Besides, I don't think-

"How did you sleep last night, Master?"

"Huh? Oh, I didn't sleep."

"Master…" she said with a serious tone, "Not sleeping is unhealthy for someone your age. You're still a growing boy."

"Boy? Not even. I'm a man." I proudly stated with a hand on my hip, earning a giggle from my partner.

"With your childish antics, I still categorize you as more of a boy than a man, Master." she replied with a coy smile.

Well, that's that then. War has been declared.

I poked her in the side, forcing a silent yelp out of her, and she poked me back, forcing me to let out a strained exhale. But we both knew a poking war would have to wait until next time. We had coffee. Spilling it would be a grave sin none of us would like to commit.

"What were you up to last night if you weren't sleeping?"

"Well, I've been working on a little something something. More of a side project really. Remnant's technology isn't as advanced as in Primordial, but even so, it's working out. Albeit slowly, I'm still making it work."

"What are you working on?"

"That's a secret."

It actually is. It's not something I'd discuss freely. With anyone really. Unless I was bribed. With graham crackers. Maybe.

I meant what I said about technology on Primordial being more advanced though. Instead of focusing our efforts on killing one another around the globe, once the ruling system was remade, we focused more on the problems we faced as a people, as well as the scars we gave our world because of our greed. Well...humanity's greed if I were to be more precise.

So...instead of turning our efforts towards violence, we studied hard and constantly created new technologies or continued improving existing ones. Not exactly a perfect world, but still far better than most.

"Very well then. I hope your secret project goes as planned then. Just...don't get into trouble, please."

"You worry too much." I said taking a sip from my cup, tasting the sweetness of the mix of dark chocolate and cinnamon.

"For good reasons." She stated, her tone growing more serious, "I'm…"

She seemed as though she didn't want to go ahead with what she was about to say. Probably because shed think I'd be angry about. But I've told her many times before that she can speak up at any time about anything. Inuba doesn't have to be afraid to voice her opinion.

"I fear for you at times."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just… Adjusting to everything given what happened… I want to make sure you're fine and comfortable and-"

"Look, with the things happened… They just happened. And they kinda really don't have anything to do with...well, all this. Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"But Master, there's always someone or something that's willing to do harm, wherever we may be. Even here, there's Grimm and-"

I stopped her there by poking her softly in the forehead, which made her fox ears fold against her head for a few moments.

"You leave all the fighting to me."

I heard her gasp and looked at her to see wide eyes, almost as if she were in disbelief.

"What? Something I said?"

"N-No…" she said softly, looking down towards the ground with what seemed to be a slight bit of disappointment.

I looked at her with confusion, not really understanding her sudden reaction just now. Rather, I couldn't understand why she seemed disappointed. So I just let it be. Mainly because I wouldn't get anymore answers, but also because we reached our destination.

"Here we are." I said opening the door, "After you madame Fox." I said with a bow.

She smiled at me warmly and entered inside, I myself following in after her immediately. But as soon as we did, we were both on guard immediately. Why you ask?

There was a freaking miniature sized Nevermore in the corner of the classroom.

A mini-me Nevermore.

What the hell man?! Is this professor a Grimm Tamer or something?! Seriously!

"Master is that-"

"Yup. Grimm birdie is definitely sitting in the corner."

"But… How… Why-?"

"It's best if we don't question it." I said finding us seats near the midsection of the desk layouts.

"Why is there such an open amount of seats further below?" Asked Inuba as she scanned the lower section.

There was an easy answer to that. One that I felt when I entered the room. HE was here.

"Why do you think?" I replied, nodding my head further down towards the lone figure.

"Niro Ezdeil…"

"Bingo."

"Does he have some sort of reputation? Why is everyone sitting so far away from him?"

"Not a clue. All I've heard is that he isn't exactly the friendly type. Might even be involved in some shady business. You know, girl gossip around the halls."

"Girl gossip?" She asked amusedly.

"What? It's an actual thing."

She only raised an eyebrow at me.

"I'm serious. Besides, you never went to high school, so you wouldn't know."

"True, but...I find it hard to believe girls would gossip this much. Especially in a school."

"Well, part of it's a general label that applies to girls that do like to gossip. It's also something that applies to guys at times, but those are basically rumors and such."

"So..?"

"We're all girl gossipers. IF we play into gossip that is." I replied.

She only smiled at me and shook her head as we returned our attention back down towards Niro, who now apparently had a guest.

Frame that was elegant and smaller in comparison to most girls her age. Black crop top that would expose her pale shoulders if it wasn't hidden beneath a black jacket with sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Not that bulky, so it had to be made of thin material.

The tail of her jacket fell near where her shorts ended, length measuring slightly past them as it lay folded against the bench beneath her. Her shorts were black, fading down to a deep purple before falling further into black tights and similarly colored combat boots. She also wore a white wide scarf delicately around her neck, its ends frayed and wrapped in a style to rest the majority of the soft cloth on her chest. It was an ombre scarf with triangular like ends.

Not bad. The look works for her.

"It seems he has company." noted Inuba.

"Yup."

"Where is the rest of his team?" she asked looking around.

"Maybe the have other classes like Ciel and Leo." I shrugged, noticing a white haired and rather sassy girl down below.

Looked as though she was warning the other girl sitting next to Niro to move away as quick as she could.

"Master?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you heard any bad rumors about him? Mr. Ezdeil I mean."

"Uh… No actually." I honestly answered, "I'm not the type to openly listen to gossip and rumors unless I need to for information. But I'm definitely going to keep my ears open."

He...has my interest. Slightly. That Aura of his… I don't know how or why everyone else can't feel it and only I can. It's...creepy. Slightly intimidating. It was like I was staring at a force of nature condensed into a human body. Whatever it was, it wasn't normal. He wasn't normal.

There's a lot of things I've seen so far in my life. Gods, Angels, Dark Entities, anything and everything almost that can be considered a force of nature outside of human control.

He wasn't a Dark Entity, that's for sure. Otherwise I'd know since we'd resonate slightly. It's how I'm able to sniff out Dark Entities. Same for Angels strangely enough…

Whatever he was, I'm sure I'll find out soon enough. Just need to keep close watch and listen carefully.

"Where is the professor?" Asked Inuba, "There's only five more minutes until we're allowed to leave."

"Trying to leave so soon? Careful Inuba, if you start cutting class, you might eventually get a nice tan and start acting like a gyaru."

"I-I would never become that kind of woman!" she said with a deep redness to her cheeks.

I held back my laughter and slightly slammed my palm against the top of the table.

"I know I know!" I said killing off my laughter, "You're way too proper a girl to be like that."

She puffed her cheeks and pouted at me slightly until her attention snapped to someone to my side, that same someone slamming their hand down on the table desk in front of me.

Speaking of tans, I think I know who this hand belongs too.

"I've finally found you!"

Please god no. No.

My head slowly freaked around, shattering all my hopes, dreams and desires when I saw who it was.

Musashi Ryūjinhonō had arrived.

Goddammit…

"Um… Nice to meet you...person I've never seen before…" I awkwardly responded.

"You can't fool me Dante! Leader of team DICL (Dicilius)!"

Oh my god. Please… Just-

"We have a score to settle!" she confidently replied, standing straight up with her hands on her hips.

Huh… Surprisingly she was actually wearing the girls school uniform. Only she didn't have a ribbon and her blouse was...opened up until the center of her chest.

Look away.

"Um, look, Musashi, right?"

"So you do remember me!"

"Yeah, listen, I'm not going to fight you. Or settle a score or whatever."

"I see! So you do not consider me a worthy opponent, is that it?"

"No actually, I just don't want to fight you. At all. Ever. Like never."

"What must I do to prove myself to be an opponent worthy of your skill?"

"Uh, nothing at since I'm not going to fight you. And besides, I'm not that great-"

"You cannot fool me Dante of Team DICL. My eyes never deceive me when determining the worth, power, and skill of an opponent. You're strong. Very strong. And that's all that matters to me when deciding to fight someone. Stopping my sword before giving me the chance to draw was proof enough for me."

Damn… I probably shouldn't have stopped from drawing and ran away. Then again, she probably would have chased me down instead.

"I don't understand. Why is it that you wish to fight him so much? What do you possibly gain?" asked Inuba, whom I could see tensing up to move at any moment.

"Power. You can never grow entirely strong by fighting weaker enemies. You can never always grow stronger from fighting an opponent of equal strength. No… You must seek out those who are stronger and take them down so you can become stronger. You must always seek battle with those who are stronger in order to become stronger yourself. And so...I will continue to seek out those who are strong and challenge them. And I will never stop until I am the strongest."

Great… So she's the kind who really really really likes fighting. And apparently, I'm now on her radar. Great. Just great.

"Look, that's a great reason. Really. It is."

It isn't. It's the worst reason in the world.

"But I don't have any interest in fighting you. Ever."

"Heh! Are you afraid of me?"

"No."

"Are you afraid your reputation might suffer if you were to be defeated by a woman?"

"No. And for the record, I have had my rear handed to me by women before."

I was just about to say Inuba is one of said women, who is the only one that's been constant with her wins against me, but that would've shifted Musashi's focus to her, something I didn't want. So I kept my mouth shut about it.

"Then engage me in battle! Let us cross swords! Even if I may fail against you, I will return to face you again!"

Oh good. Persistent tant too. Just what I needed.

"Alright alright, save it for later Musashi."

I leaned forward to see the new arrival to be none other than Nori Andel, Musashi's teammate, and behind him, his partner, Kaliel Sapphira.

Nori wore the standard male uniform only he didn't wear the tie and had his shirt unbuttoned slightly. Kaliel was the only one who wore the full uniform. The only difference about Kaliel was that this time she was wearing rectangular, azure blue glasses.

Musashi wasn't eager to retreat from her declaration to fight me, but she only gave a huff and sat down next to me, Nori and Kaliel sittng next to her too.

"Sorry about that. Musashi is...well...pushy a bit."

Pushy huh? Gee, I didn't realize that.

"Nice way to describe it." I retorted.

He simply shrugged before leaning back in his seat and extending his arm to me so that it wouldn't be in Musashi's way.

"Nori Andel."

"Dante."

"So we've heard. Hello to you too young miss." He said winking towards Inuba.

For some reason, that made me a bit...twitchy.

"Hello." She said brushing off his wink and greeting him normally.

"And this is my partner, Kaliel Sapphira." Nori added, waving his hand towards her.

"H-Hello…" she greeted back meekly with a soft voice.

I noticed that their leader wasn't with them. She had a distinct presence that could never be missed,

"Your leader in another class?" I asked.

"No. She should be here actually. This is her next class." Said Nori in a confused tone as he looked around, "Oh, there she is."

The five of us looked to the doorway and saw Bailey Lianna stride in...with my brother Leo and Ciel next to her.

Looks like they became friends quickly.

"Yo, what's up everyone?" said Ciel.

For some reason, as soon as Musashi saw Ciel, she immediately forced Nori and Kaliel to move three seats over along with her, an action that all of us found rather strange. That, and she was doing her absolute best to avoid eye contact with Ciel entirely.

I could only imagine what trouble my little sister could have gotten into without my supervision. Ciel sat next to me, Leo next to her, and Bailey in between Musashi and Leo.

"So, how did your guys' class go this morning?"

"Just fine actually." replied Bailey immediately.

"Indeed. A rather simple class. I do worry that Ciel might have had trouble keeping up." My little brother replied with a grin.

"Hey! That is so not true!" She said before turning to me, "I swear it was no biggie. I was paying attention and stuff."

I raised my eyebrow to silently question the statement of my little sister, the troublemaker.

"I so was!"

"Alright, I believe you. Just make sure you keep it up and don't slack off in class." I said nudging her before she nudged back.

"I can attest to that statement myself." Said Bailey leaning forward a bit.

I actually just noticed she was still wearing her blindfold. Huh. So she even wears it as not part of her combat attire. Interesting.

Wait. She just said she can attest to Ciel's statement, right?

"You three had class together?"

"Yep!" Replied my sister as she quickly brought forth her HoloScroll to continue playing a game she left off from.

Surely that had to be a coincidence…

"Teacher still hasn't showed up yet…" noted Nori.

"M-Maybe she's running late..?" spoke Kaliel.

"Maybe…"

I looked further down to see Niro looking up at the doorway in anticipation. I didn't know anything about him really, but it looked like he was actually hoping the professor wouldn't show so he could leave and...go do whatever it is that wonderful individual does. Unfortunately for him, his desire to leave was dashed when the door opened, allowing team JNPR to step in.

And then, our professor stepped in.

She probably had a fun morning, given that she still smelled of alcohol when she passed by me. Gotta give her props for using some minty scents to cover it up.

Out professor for this class was a well-built woman, and average height with waist length dark blue hair, pairing naturally with piercing dark blue eyes, all nestled beneath a black cowboy hat.

You know those types of teachers you read about in like, manga I guess,

or see in anime or just really dramatic tv show where teachers flirt with students? Yeah, I don't think she was above flirting with students. I mean, she was young. Probably in her early twenties. And we weren't that much younger. See a potential pattern forming?

To further add to her attention-drawing style, she wore tight-fitting black leather pants and black leather heeled boots, each reaching the center shins. And as if the pants that showed off her curves really well wasn't enough, she even wore a form-fitting tube top that revealed more than an ample amount of cleavage.

Remember how I said Musashi's budget sarashi was revealing? Yeah, I think she and this professor are first place contenders so far for "revealing tops".

Well, at least she had a shapely, and also very form-fitting, long, black trench coat.

Ezdeil looks a bit frustrated down there… He's probably reconsidering his "western" style approach to clothes. But I'm not one to judge or point fingers or say who can wear what. Will I say something now and then? Yeah. But not today.

Needless to say, she was probably becoming part of most of the boys fantasies in this class. No, not probably. Definitely.

"Hello~"

Her voice was soft and gentle, almost like that of a temptress, but not exactly a temptress. Maybe something on the middle? Does something like that even exist?

"My name is Professor Miralla, but I prefer you just call me by my first name, Caza."

She's...an interesting individual. From what I could sense of her Aura Signature, she was easily a notch above most of us in the room. Then again, there were us few above her. Like myself. Or the King of Edginess down below. But despite, she still had that sense of authority about her that somewhat moved away from the usual strictness of Beacon's rules. It's like they didn't really exist for her.

"Now, as some of you may have known or heard by now," Caza strolled over to her teacher's desk and leaned against its front edge, supporting herself just enough to cross one ankle in front of the other and place her hands softly on the surface at her sides, "this class teaches you how to survive, track, and navigate your way through unfamiliar and dangerous territories. And, additionally, how to engage Grimm you've never encountered before."

Experiment and observe. Draw out their attacks, watch for patterns and sit back. When the opportunity is right, you strike and continue watching for weaknesses.

Don't need to tell me how to do my job.

Looking at the majority of the class, I could see that they were definitely paying attention to the professor. Though, it wasn't likely to what she was saying.

"So," Caza clapped her hands and regarded the classroom in a sweeping gaze, "We're going on a little field trip. Leave your belongings since you won't need them."

She slipped away from her desk and made her way over to the door, turning only to say one more thing as her...Nevermore pet got up as well and made its way across the room.

"Oh, and no stopping by your weapons lockers on the way. It's best you learn this lesson without weapons."

Well...I guess that's that.

I stood up from my seat like everyone else was and made for the door with Inuba and my siblings following close behind. Surprisingly, all of LMKN folowed next to me.

Even moving forward...I couldn't help but feel Ezdeil's Aura Signature creeping up on me from behind, like a ghost lying in wait to strangle its prey. Creepy...but nothing I couldn't handle.

* * *

Cliffsides. Yay.

Are we practicing-?

No no, that's dumb.

Either way, Jaune Arc's looking a bit pale. Jitters from being launched during initiation? Very likely

Besides that, I didn't like the way Ezdeil was looking at him like a piece of meat to be dangled down to lions down below. Seriously man, back off already. We get it, you're...powerful or whatever. No need to assert your dominance.

So, our professor took us out to Beacon's cliffside that overlooked the entire Emerald Forest, a small gale of wind rushing up from the from the forest below. Other than that, the cliff we stood on wasn't entirely the largest cliff in the whole wide world, but giving it a quick look over told me that a little stumble off it would very likely kill someone. Jaune Arc for example if a certain edgy person was going to go through with his plan to kick him off the cliffside.

"Now, I'm sure you all had landing strategies during initiation. But, of course, that was with your weapons and equipment." Caza explained.

No, not really. I just...stood I guess? Literally, I positioned myself in a way that made it look like I was standing while flying through the air, then just...plop. My feet found themselves on the floor safe and sound.

"Your first assignment of my class is to survive this fall, but without any assistance from external mechanisms. You are only allowed to use your body and your Aura. Any violation of that rule will result in an immediate failure of the task for the day."

Oh~! A challenge! This'll be fun.

"Is anyone here feeling confident enough to give us a demonstration of what I expect of you?"

I wonder...

"Nobody? How about...you. Mister Dante, would you care to be our demonstration?"

Would she even allow it?

"Master…"

No… I don't think so… Still I should-

"Master!" said Inuba in a raised but still hushed tone, elbowing me in the side.

"Huh?"

Looking up, I saw everyone staring at me.

But then I looked to Inuba, who nodded towards the professor that was waiting on me.

Oh. Did she call on me?

Without saying another word I took steps forward to the cliffside, thinking I should maybe ask my question. Even with that in mind, I couldn't help feeling a certain someone was cursing me to fall to my immediate demise.

Might as well ask I guess.

"Uh, so we can use nothing but our body and Aura, right?" I asked, standing at the edge and gazing down the outcrop below.

Still pretty steep… Even I get a bit uncomfortable standing over cliffs

"That is correct." Caza replied, crossing her arms as she watched.

She's probably thinking that I'm thinking of chickening out. But that wasn't my intention at all.

"Well, Aura isn't exactly necessary is it? Would I be breaking the rules going without it?"

I could hear everyone gasping behind me like I was mental for even suggesting that. Was it that unheard of?

Crap.

I slapped a hand over my forehead, not believing I simply forgot a basic thing like that. Of course humans can't jump off cliffs like this one and expect to be fine, especially without using Aura.

"Without Aur? I won't allow you to potentially kill yourself, Mister Dante, if that's what you're asking for." Caza replied, fixing me a critical gaze.

"Sorry professor, I didn't mean it like that. I know I can handle the drop, which is why I asked if I can do it without Aura." I explained, taking a step back as he glanced at our professor.

"Is that guy insane?"

"He's got to be if he thinks he can drop from this high."

"That or he isn't human or whatever."

Well, you aren't wrong about that whoever you are...

"Very well, I expect you to be successful then."

Our professor gestured to the cliffside as that pet Nevermore clawed his way over to the cliff's edge.

Safety net maybe? Not that I actually need one, but… Could that bird actually carry me up? I'm curious now...

Well, here goes nothing.

I took a single step off the cliff and let gravity do the rest as I dropped down, feeling the wind rushing past my face. There was one thing I did miss from my old powers.

Flying.

Graceful and epic freedom… Just some nice parts to flying. If you think about it, this kinda counts, but back then I actually had control of where I went and how I flew.

The past is the past. Can't do much about it.

I noticed I was approaching ground level quickly and flipped once to orient my feet to the floor, making a soft landing on the floor.

That wasn't so bad.

"First student passes with flying colors. Nicely done!" called out ms. Miralla from up above.

I only gave her a thumbs up and a smile, finding a rock to sit down on while waiting for the others to drop. Hopefully I gave the others a bit more confidence to jump down now. Aura included of course.

"Anyone willing to follow up the demonstration?" Caza asked, turning to the class once more.

One by one I watched everyone follow after, Inuba, my brother and sister being the next few before everyone else.

It was interesting watching everyone use their Aura on their way down, different colors and all that. It was like watching the elements moving in fluid motion in so many different colors. Like Bailey with her grey color Aura that looked like wind. Or Nori, whose blood red Aura ironically formed almost like a smooth sheet of metal to ease his fall.

"Man, you must be made of sterner stuff if you can handle falls like that without using Aura. What's your secret?" asked Nori as he sat next to me.

"Good food and exercise." I replied with a coy smile, not keen on revealing my secret to him so soon.

"Ah come on man, not even a serious answer?" he replied with disappointment.

"Not kidding. My partner's food is magic-like. I wouldn't be surprised if it's reinforced my body drastically."

I seriously wouldnt be shrouded if that's the case...

"No kidding? Speaking of which… Your partner is a kitsune right? Like the ones of old with super powerful magic, right?"

"Huh? Kitsune and fox Faunus are different?"

"Yeah man. Fox Faunus are just that. Kitsune are sort of mythical in the sense that they're a really rare find. But what really sets them apart is a Kitsune's ability to use magic. There's even legends out there that they're apparently stronger than the four maidens."

"Four maidens?"

"Man, how up to speed are you on myths surrounding Remnant?"

Now that you mention it…

"Not very." I replied, "Haven't had the time. Been doing what I can to get here into Beacon."

"No kidding… Getting accepted isn't the easiest thing in the world. But when you set your mind to it, it isn't entirely the hardest either."

"Optimistic myth-man Nori."

"Please tell me that isn't my nickname from now on."

"Relax, I'm not that kind of person." I said waving off his worries.

"Thank goodness…"

Nori Andel… Don't know much about him either besides that he's the only guy in LMKN. Obviously an optimist.

"How's living with the rest of them? Your team I mean?" I asked him.

"It's good. Bailey's...well...quiet. Not a big talker, but she does say what she needs to. But pretty much that. Musashi's...well...she's an interesting character."

"I noticed given that she's about ready to take on the whole wide world." I replied.

He only laughed a bit before given me more of a rundown.

"Well, if you want to be the strongest, you have to start from somewhere. Apparently we're the starting point."

"She try picking a fight with you?"

"Yeah, but I went down quick."

"You say that as if you didn't put in enough effort."

"Of course I didn't man. I don't want future rematches against her anytime soon. Especially with how hard she hits with her fists alone."

Interesting… She used her bare fists against him. Yet with me, she was about ready to draw her sword. Just how dangerous are you Musashi?

"Good thing I turned her down…"

"Yeah man, it probably wouldn't be the best of times. She's a really tough customer… So...what's the deal with the cowboy uptop?"

"Niro Ezdeil?"

"Yeah, anything on him?"

"Nothing so far. Other than he gives me the Creeps a bit. Not from his actions or anything, just-"

"His Aura, right?"

Well this is surprising… Does he..?

"You too then..?" I asked calmly.

"You've been getting a weird feeling from his Aura too?"

"Yeah. But whenever I asked anyone else, he just seemed normal to them. As if-"

"Nothing was wrong…"

"Yeah…" I replied softly.

"Heh, maybe we're special that way?"

"No way. Doomed if anything."

"Wha-?!"

Nori seemed surprised by my statement given he raised up his hands with shock.

"N-Now I really never want to get into a fight with him…"

"I don't think he's like Musashi in the sense he'll seek you out to fight him. I'm guessing he's more of the type that if you give him a reason to, he'll definitely bring the fight to you. Best not provoke him."

We both looked up to hear the screaming of someone from above, seeing that it was Jaune Arc who was falling now. Looking even further, I saw "who" it was that kicked him off the cliff.

That bastard actually did it…

Fortunately, we didn't have to make a move, and neither did professor Miralla up above. We saw a student from where we were outstretch her hand, and just like that, Jaune Arc's descent was instantly halted a few feet from the floor.

Pyrrha Nikos had saved the blonde knight in blue denim.

Speaking of, she's actually pretty good when it comes to fighting. Well, pretty good is underplaying it. Scary good is what I should have said at first. For a human at least.

So young, and yet so competent and strong. But she has to be. This world isn't an easy one. It's harsh. And it's filled with all sorts of terrors that humans from my world would shrink away from at first...before turning the tide and facing them head on. Unlike the humans from my world, the people of Remnant have struggled to survive since the very beginning. And to this day, that struggle continues.

Like Pyrrha Nikos, humanity and Faunus kind here on Remnant have to be strong. There's no other choice really. It's either that...or annihilation.

That's IF we don't turn on each other in the long run.

Seriously… I had my theories that the guy was a jerk. But kicking someone off a cliff? I'll admit, Jaune Arc isn't the most impressive of people, for now anyway, but that doesn't really warrant that kind of behavior towards him. Yeah, you might think it could be help by making him stronger in the long run, but that kind of thing can also backfire if you push too much. And I have a feeling you're the type who doesn't care. It's one way or the other with you,

"Man, that guy's a dick." said Ciel as she approached with my brother, Inuba, and the rest of LMKN.

Though for some reason, Musashi seemed...flustered. Tremendously. One second she's all "Fight me!", and now she's acting more like a girl? What is up with this one?

"You saw?" I asked.

"Yes. I find Niro Ezdeil's action towards Jaune Arc...regrettable." Commented Bailey.

"Even I would never do something as abhorrent as picking on those weaker than me…" added Musashi.

That's because you're too busy trying to pick fights with those stronger than you…

I let out a sigh and looked up towards the sky, past the students and past Ezdeil and professor Miralla. Wasn't too sunny, slightly cloudy, but still a few rays had managed to peek through.

"Yo, big brother. Six o'clock."

Don't need to tell me.

I heard the growl of a Beowolf and leaned backwards slightly to grab hold of the creature's head before I flipped it over my body, slammed it into the ground, and crushed its skull with my heel, killing it instantly.

"Seems we have uninvited guests…" I said standing up and turning to face the forest, watching as Beowolves slowly crept out from the forest.

I guess it's time to-

Huh..?

I turned around the same time Nori did as we both watched Ezdeil take a step off the ledge, then...reappear immediately on the ground floor.

I doubt Nori saw it...but I saw it all. Niro Ezdeil had condensed his Aura and...forced himself to break the sound barrier with his fall… Not only that...but with the force he landed with, the whole forest floor for miles had been cracked.

For me, time seemingly moved slowly during the whole thing. It's why I could see Niro and could feel he had forcefully broken the sound barrier quicker than any jet or vehicle ever could. Not only that, but he landed on the floor with the explosive force of an orbital bombarded, literally shattering the ground beneath him. Not only that, but it seemed to cave in.

But just like that, with a flash of crackling lime green Aura, everything had quickly repaired itself. I'd be in awe...if I wasn't more concerned about how in the world he actually did what he did without ripping his body apart. Not only that...but…

I turned my head around slightly to confirm what I felt. No presence of Grimm. For miles on end…

If I had to guess...he dispelled the force from his landing and spread it out through the forest to eliminate any and all Grimm for miles while also MAKING that same wave of force avoid everyone else.

I...don't understand this individual… I've never seen anything like him, nor understood how exactly he did what he did. He virtually just...manipulated everything around him… Gravity, air, earth…

Just what the hell are you exactly that you can do all this and more? He's human. That much I'm sure of. But what power have you been blessed or cursed with to allow you to do all that?

I'll admit… I wasn't all too interested in getting to know you...before now that is. You have my full attention...Niro Ezdeil… And one way or another…I'll figure it out.

"What the hell was that..?" Nori whispered to me, still in disbelief with what he managed to see.

I watched Niro storm off, as if he had just reached his maximum limit for tolerating something that made him angry. Did the professor say something to set him off?

"I have no idea Nori…"

But I intend to find out as quick as possible. A guy like that…he can be a potential threat in the future. And like always, I'd rather be prepared for the worst just in case, rather than be caught with my pants around my ankles.

Expect to see more of me in the future...Niro.

* * *

 **Fairly simple chapter this week. But hey, we see a certain someone becoming a topic of interest recently. What mysteries lie behind the man, the myth, the legend Niro Ezdeil? Well, I already know what those mysteries are practically. But still, mystery enough for you.**

 **Really all I had to say there, so with that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created. **

**Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Of Hydras and Blackened Devils**

«»

Well, it's been officially decided. Pizza will be our dinner for tonight. Inuba didn't object to the idea, but she did intend to cook dinner. The three of us, my younger brother, sister, and I, wanted to give Inuba a break for once. I mean, she cooks really good food for us everyday. Don't get me wrong, the food is fantastic, there's no question about it. But you know, doing it everyday even though it's not necessary? Well…

So, the three of us brilliantly deduced that I would go out and buy pizza for everyone and bring it home for dinner. There's this really great parlor downtown in Vale that makes really amazing pizza. Given that none of us eat pizza regularly, we just said "to heck with it". And so, I leave our dorm to embark on the holy quest of grabbing sacred and holy deliciousness.

I would have continued further…had not a certain someone caught my attention.

Niro Ezdeil had just stepped out of his own door too. And from the corner of my eye, I could see he wasn't all too happy to see me. At all. Or ever for that matter.

Not even kidding, I swear this guy has it out for me or something. Every time I've passed him by so far, he's always given me the "I'm going to freaking kill you" look. Seriously, what did I ever do to you?

Maybe he has a thing against happiness. And sunshine. I'm out of here Nosferatu.

Then again… I did want to learn more about this guy. I know he's dangerous just by looking at him. But how dangerous? My curiosity has been compared to a monkey whacking a missile warhead with a wrench. But, someone has to ask the dangerous questions. And be there to see the "explosive" results. Heh. See what I did there?

God I am unfunny at times…

Alright then. Let's calm down and warmly greet the neighbor. Even if said neighbor is potentially concocting a plethora of plans to murder me. Great.

"Oh, hey there. You're that guy from Miss Caza's class. Niro…right?" I said approaching him.

Okay, good start I think.

"I could say the same to you, but it's best not to bother." he replied simply and coldly.

Well look at you Mr. Edgy. Alright...just...be nice. Even if he's poking the bear in the nose.

"Wow…um…you seem a bit agitated. Something happen earlier?"

"Just enough to ruin my day."

You sure you just don't wake up every morning more agitated than the Hulk stubbing his toe?

Nice. Remember… Be…NICE. Let's give a potential complement.

"That bad huh..? I gotta say, that was some really impressive work in the Emerald Forest earlier with how you fixed the place after… well… annihilating it really. How'd you manage that by the way?"

"Things are easier to put back together when they remember the state they were in before they break." He replied, keeping his voice low and even.

I don't think he wants me figuring out what exactly his abilities are. Too bad for you.

"True enough." I replied, my curiosity and my intimidation of him growing by the second, "But that still doesn't answer the question. Deconstruction and reconstruction an ability of your Semblance?"

The way he destroyed the entire forest floor, then instantly put it back together in a matter of a second suggests something along those lines. At first, I thought he was a Semblance user that manipulated earth with how he shattered it. But then I remembered his initial descent and thought maybe it was a Semblance focused on acceleration and/or control of specific vectors around him or those that he touches or comes into contact with.

I doubted even that theory.

Whatever he has is a form of control. Manipulation. But what exactly is it?

"Neither."

"Darn… Was sure I had it… Guess I have to take a better look next time. If there is one that is." I replied.

You bet your ass there'll be a next time.

I noticed that he was getting… twitchy. Like how I get twitchy when other guys talk to Inuba or when they hit on her. At that point, I get really really twitchy.

"We're in the same class, but don't count on being able to figure anything out." He said moving forward, "People have tried in the past. And they've all ended up dead by the advances of Grimm, or by their own hand."

Oh~ threatening. I'm really really scared. Not.

Sort of.

Don't underestimate my capabilities to learn, comprehend and understand. I'll end up figuring you out. One way or another.

"Well… guess I can take my sweet time since I don't have to worry about getting killed, Grimm or otherwise."

Uh oh. I almost let slip-

"Don't claim yourself to be unkillable. You're not immortal. No one truly is." he said clenching his fist tightly like that stupid meme I keep seeing on the internet.

"W-Well… I never said I wasn't unkillable… Just saying I'm not exactly the easiest person to kill is all. I have a feeling the same could be said of you."

No seriously, I highly doubt his ability to be killed so easily.

"You have a preconceived idea that you're durable, but you've never met me before."

You're right. But I've met worse than you princess.

"You wouldn't be able to get back up after something I'm capable of."

See, I didn't dare to laugh right now right in front of him. Instead, I did it within the depth of my mind so it was unheard by all. Except for myself. Cause it's in my mind. Whatever.

"Wow… You definitely must be strong if you're able to say that all scary-like. Which makes me even more curious…"

As curious as I am, I know he's itching to move. And guess what? I welcome it.

"Save the wit for something that matters, and leave your curiosity on the back burner. This isn't something you should get involved with." He said as he began moving again, nearing the moment he'd be passing by me.

"For my own good? Or because you have more to hide than what the rest of us see?" I said pressing him more.

"I couldn't care less about your well-being, but this isn't something to delve into. Not when you have any life you wish to keep."

Don't you realize your threats mean nothing to me?

"My life isn't as much of a concern of mine for specific reasons. If I didn't know better… it feels as though you have a theory you've been cooking up…"

A Game Theory. No no, stop it. Nows not the time for stupid and bad jokes. But I definitely suspect a plan to put me through the wall in the works right now.

"I do, and I'm about to test it."

Alright bitch, Mortal Kombat time. Get over here.

He looked as though he was about to pass me, but I noticed how his legs tensed up to set himself in place, getting ready to punch me.

Pfft. Amateur.

He's sloppy with his technique and delivery, but I have a feeling it's because his technique doesn't need to be as refined as most of ours need to be. Not when he needs to simply plow through his targets. Even better, with how fast this punk was moving, I bet you anything he's thinking that he's moving too fast for me to react.

He was dead wrong.

His fist moved and let the air collapse in on itself behind him to give him a seriously amplified punch, both in terms of speed and and the power behind. Swift. Fairly precise. Brutal to whatever childlike idea he has as to what brutality actually is.

Niro cleared the distance between us fast enough to rip through the veil of air in front of us and break the sound barrier, making his punch sound like a piercing gunshot, like that of an anti-materiel rifle.

Cute. He's thinking his attack is several times more lethal… What are you, a wannabe One Punch Man?

Get over yourself.

"Whew… That tingled a bit…" I replied, the passing shockwave settling as I glared at him with a focused gaze, Niro glaring back with an equally focused glare.

So then… what did I do to stop his attack? A, dodge? B, parry? Or C, simply raise up my right hand and catch his fist in my hand?

If you chose C…ballsy. But also correct.

I'll admit, I didn't expect THAT much force behind his punch as to bruise a large part of my hand and palm. But I at least now have a basic idea of his strength. I'll get used to his kid-karate soon enough.

I could tell just by looking at him he wasn't expecting that. What, were you expecting a hole in the wall? Or a big bloody mess?

"That really would have hurt…" If I wasn't so insensitive to pain and if you didn't punch like a five year hopped up on Gatorade, "Looks like I was right. You getting a bit antsy meant you were definitely thinking of doing something to me. That, though? Not expected on my part."

We both turned our heads slightly to our sides as we saw and heard numerous doors quickly opening in the hallway around us, both of our dorm room doors as well. Unfortunately, I couldn't see who was inside his dorm since they didn't bother to step out.

I saw him flex his fingers for a few moments, looking over his glove before letting it fall slowly to his side.

Did I go beyond your expectations Linkin Park?

"You weren't lying..." Niro said disappointed, "You're durable, but not unkillable."

Wanna try that theory again chuckletits?

"You can try again if you'd like… How far you'll actually get, though… well… I'm curious myself to see how far you'd get…" I said with a challenging, devious smile, far outside my usual norm.

You can go home now and cry in the corner contemplating your meaningless existence and-

Woah woah woah. Time to cool it. No need to get out of hand…

Still though… I too had a theory other than how strong he was while he was trying to punch me. You know how all those other times I got really nervous when he showed up in the area with his overbearing Aura? Well, finally figured something out.

That wasn't nervousness or intimidation on my part.

It was excitement.

For a human…he's really strong. And a more than worthy opponent.

Call me a hypocrite or whatever, I don't care really. But I think I'm starting to accept and share Musashi's ideology of wanting to fight someone a bit more now. If that happened though… what exactly would happen to those around us?

Questions for another time.

"You can count on it." he said as he finally walked away.

You bet you can you f-

"Master!" Inuba said in a hushed tone as she approached, "What happened?!"

"Uh…"

I smacked the bear in the face and woke him up. That's what happened. Though, if I told her I provoked him on purpose just now, she'd be pretty upset with me.

"We were just…horsing around. Then it got a bit rowdy towards the end there. No cause for concern. Heh heh…"

"Master…"

Uh-oh. I'm in trouble.

Instead of getting lectured, I got a pretty harsh pinch on the check. With an extra tug that hurt a bit more.

"Please don't do anything that would get you into trouble." she said finally letting go of my cheek, allowing me to rub the small pain away with own hand.

"Yeah, yeah…" I returned rubbing the back of my neck.

As soon as I said that, I felt two hands pinching both sides of my cheeks, which, admittedly, hurt a bit more than the last.

"One confirmation of your understanding is enough!" she said stretching them.

And yet I did my best to pretend it wasn't hurting.

"Fiiine." I replied before she finally let go.

"Good. Now then… Please be safe on your travel to the city." She said with a bow.

"Oh yeah, we all choose a topping except you, right? Pepperoni is a given, obviously. Ciel chose the cheese stuffed crust, Leo the chicken breast topping, and myself the pretzel crust. What about you?"

"O-Oh, me..? You don't need to ask. Um… Choose whatever else you think would be best."

"No can do. Already picked what I wanted. Your turn."

"W-Wha-? But-"

"It's fine. Choose anything you'd like. Really it's no problem."

"Well… Pineapple...then..?"

"Pineapple it is. I'll be back in… thirty minutes or less." I said guessing how long it'd take.

I already placed in the call for the order. Now they just have to make it while I'm on my way there, pick it up, and presto, take it home to share with the others. Let's just hope Mr. "I have no emotions" isn't a fan of pizza either.

As soon as I rounded the corner, I saw two rather curious people hiding there. More specifically, Ray Chroma and Gabriel Stryker of RGDS, also our neighbors on this floor along with Ezdeil's team ELA, LMKN, RWBY and JNPR. I stopped for a moment to stare at them with a puzzled glance, while Gabriel awkwardly smiled and waved at me. Ray just...well...he kinda looked at me with a curious, yet deadpan glance. I think.

They were probably about to round the corner before they saw me and Niro "chatting it up" that lead to his million dollar failure of a punch, and decided to wait just in case things went wrong.

Ray and Gabriel made the right decision to hang back a bit.

All I did afterwards was shrug my shoulders, give the two a polite wave, and without saying a word, took off towards the exit. Afterall…what was more important than pizza right now?

* * *

Night drive through Vale… Pretty neat looking if you ask me. I've only driven in Vale during the day, and no joke, it still looks pretty neat. But at night…it has a whole new level of allure to it. And Beacon… Wow… That ancient castle feel and modernized architecture that's implemented into the overall structures is just...impressive. I mean, there's a lot of other things to say about the school I currently attend, but that's pretty much the only word I can find currently to say about it.

Though, there was something on my mind now for the past minute. I was feeling tremors in the ground. At first, I was thinking Edgelord Supreme was down somewhere in the forest blowing off steam, but I'm pretty sure I'd be seeing and feeling a lot more than just tremors. So what could it be?

I passed through the small gateway on the cliffside and soon enough approached the entrance guard aptly named Steve. Was he here all the time?

"Back so soon?" He asked with his gruff voice.

Steve looked to be in his forties, had short, brown, messy hair, and faint stubble. His clothing consisted of a black turtleneck, blue jeans, combat boots from what I could see in the booth, and a grey bulletvest. He also wore a black cap.

"Yeah." I replied grabbing the two pizza boxes in the passenger seat, "Went to grab pizza for the munchkins since they wanted pizza tonight."

"That so? Cafeteria food not good enough for you?"

"Uh… No, that's not it. See, our friend usually cooks for us, even though we tell her it isn't necessary. So we wanted to give her break for once and decided to grab pizza."

"Right… Well, head inside and go back to your dorm room quickquick as possible."

"What? Why?" I asked with a hint of confusion in my tone.

Was there something going on?

"You didn't get the memo?"

"No…"

"A Drakian Hydra showed up. Some kid from a team went to go kill it as part of initiation test last I heard. From the tremors though, I can tell it isn't go so smoothly."

"Which team if you didn't mind me asking?"

"Huh? Do I look like an info booth to you?"

"Uh, no… Just curious is all."

"Someone from team ELA or whatever."

Edgelord Ezdeil's team… Does that mean they found a fourth team member?

"Head inside and go back to your dorm. Students might or might not get called out later to finish that thing off if the student can't finish it off entirely, so best be ready." Said Steve as he quickly punched in a code and opened the doorway to the campus for me.

"Right. Thanks Steve. Have a goodnight."

He only waved me off as I shifted the gears and slightly stepped on the gas pedal. I was speeding up a bit considering a fact there's a freaking hydra somewhere on campus. And a student is trying to kill it. More importantly, we might be called on to kill it off.

I'm going to be honest, I think that Edgey McCree and his partner are the only two who'd be able to kill it. And from what I heard, their third teammate that they have now is a three tailed kitsune. But she's been in recovery since initiation, so unfortunately, I can't accurately make assumptions as to what she's capable of for the moment. So that leaves me with one question now.

Who's their new fourth, and what can they do?

The garage door for the reserved garage space I had opened up quickly as I approached, allowing me to quickly turn the wheel and park inside. As soon as I shut off the engine, I got out quickly but soon skidded to a halt when I realized I forgot tonight's dinner, then turned around, grabbed the pizza boxes with one hand, and sprinted off towards our dorm, passing by some students who were still out and about at this time. I had to hurry back.

After all, I had a feeling tonight was going to be fun.

* * *

"So...you say there's a hydra or whatsit out and about near the forest?" asked Ciel as she was typing up her homework from her top bunk across from my own.

"Yup." I replied sitting down and putting the pizza at the center desk across me.

"And it's being used as a means of initiation for a student we know nothing off?" asked Leo, also working on his homework.

"That is correct." I said opening the top box of pizza and grabbing a slice, moving it over towards Inuba who also grabbed a slice.

"Isn't that a bit much for a new student?" Asked Inuba before she took a bite.

"Maybe… But we don't know anything about this new student. More importantly, they're being initiated for the open spot on ELA."

"Ezdouche's team?" said my little sister lifting her head up for a moment, "Well, they gotta be strong then if that's the case."

"But a hydra-like creature as an initiation test? I'm afraid I have to agree with Ms. Kitsukami in the case that that may be much." Said Leonard.

"Which is why we have to be ready if they call on the other students to go take care it." I said finishing my third slice.

"Yeahhhhhhh… You and Foxy can go ahead and take care of it if it comes to that." Said Ciel, trying to outpace Leo's typing speed.

"Too much work for you?" I asked with a coy smile.

"Nah, I got homework to do."

"My dearest and very cute little sister is refusing to go out and slay a giant monster…because she want's to do homework instead?" I questioned.

"Flattery will get you nowhere big brother. But yeah, that's the case."

"Heh… Well, I'm glad you and Leo are taking your studies seriously. Even if it's just a competition between you two."

"War more or less. But yes, competition." Leo said.

Yup. These two are going to be at each other's throats for a while concerning grades.

"Well, it looks like it's just you and me for today then partner. That's if we get called that is."

"Just the two of us…" she whispered silently.

"Yep. And we may get to show off our excellent teamwork tonight."

"Y-Yes… Teamwork…"

Ciel said something about gymnastics and I think twister, but I couldn't hear anything more since Leo bumped her off her bed. That, and I saw my partners face turn red for a few seconds? Was it something embarrassing? Maybe she's not good at twister? I mean, I know she's agile and...flexible, so she'd be an excellent gymnast. Maybe-

Never mind. Things to kill.

Before I could go however, we all got a notification on our HoloScrolls, which Ciel and Leo ignored while Inuba and I looked at the message. It was a mass notification to all the students to move out and take care of the hydra.

Damn… Should've moved faster… Ah well, doesn't mean we won't get there first.

"They're singing our song! Off we go! And don't misbahve!" I shouted back as Inuba and I ran out our door and moved down the hallway, watching other doors open.

Too bad, we're getting there first!

"Doing okay there partner?" I said turning my head to the side to see Inuba running atmy side.

"Perfectly fine! Although… it has been sometime since I've had to run so much…"

"Sorry… Should we slow down?" I asked apologetically.

"Oh! We don't need to! I'm… well… I'm pretty excited myself for this…"

"Really?"

"Y-Yes! I mean…it has been a long while since we fought something…gargantuan… And since it's a Grimm, it'll be a new experience for the both of us."

"Fair point. But we should at least try to kill this quickly. We don't want anyone else getting hurt." I added.

"Agreed."

* * *

Five minutes of running later, we made it near the cliffside overlooking the Emerald Forest and quickly spotted our target for the night. This thing was definitely a hydra…

It had nine serpant-like heads covered in bone-like armor and a massive four legged black body that towered 22 stories high. Its skin gleamed in the light, dripping with water it exuded naturally as it swept its way across the forest below. All of its eyes streaked in a solid red hue, draining the life around it as it took the atmosphere of Beacon's grounds and staunched it in a stifling blanket of tension. Four legs roamed forward as its elongated, jagged tail split the ground and slithered behind it. Its body was draconic in its entirety, its heads moreso than any other part of its anatomy.

"Think it's searching for more prey?" I asked Inuba.

"Potentially. Was the rest of team ELA present during their new team member's initiation?" She asked.

"I don't know. Maybe…"

"Master, look!"

I followed Inuba's finger and took a closer look at the Drakian Hydra to see parts of its tough hide cracked and some of it charred. The most noticeable feature however was the human-head sized gaping hole in its main body.

Did someone try to weaken this thing? Who could-?

…

"Ezdouche…" I muttered to myself.

"Pardon?" Asked Inuba.

"Uh… I was thinking that Ezdeil was the one who put the hole it near where it's heart would be. See it?"

"I do… But why weaken it? Was it perhaps a bit much for the student to fight single handedly without some form of support?"

"Could be the case. How many newbies do you know that can handle this thing besides the two of us and the munchkins?"

"Other than us? Mr. Ezdeil most likely…"

"Mr. ?" I asked with a questioning tone.

I then remembered it's just something Inuba does; acting very formal towards everyone and calling them mr., ms., or mrs. . It's not like she likes the guy.

…

Does she..?

I heard that massive behemoth let out a monstrous roar with its numerous heads as they focused upon us on the ground floor.

"Hit the deck!" I said grabbing Inuba and leaping off towards the side near some bushes, avoiding a large, pressurized jet stream of boiling hot water that tore up the earth where we previously.

The scent of heated water filled the air alongside the streams of steam from the focused blast that tore through the earth.

"That was close…" I said looking behind me to see the Grimm move along, ever so intent on searching for us.

I then felt something soft and squishy in my hand that didn't feel like the ground.

Wait, I know what th-

I looked down to see my hand where it should not be at the moment and moved it from where it was real quick, raising said hand up in the air.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that, it was an accident and-!"

"I-It's fine… You just pushed me out of the way is all… A-Accidents happen…"

"Oh? Are we interrupting?"

That new voice, along with the sound of numerous footsteps, made my head turn in that direction to see four out of eight people I recognized out of the group.

Bailey simply stood and stared with her usual stoic gaze, which is what I'm assuming since she always wears the Tactical Blindfold and I can't see her eyes. Kaliel and Nori just gave each other and Inuba and myself awkward smiles. And Musashi...well…I think she was smiling?

Then there was the newcomers. Technically. I knew of team RWBY but never had the chance to meet any of them personally. Until now that is. The blonde bomber, which I assumed to be Yang Xiao Long given her rep around school already, gave me a rather devious smirk along with her partner, Blake Belladonna, only she was more reserved with her grin. The real life princess Weiss Schnee was at a loss for words, and pretty much ready to lecture us I think. And their short but brave leader Ruby was equally at a loss for words, only she was trying to cover her eyes.

Seriously, what's wrong with these peo-?

I'm still on top of Inuba.

…

Oh my…

I quickly got back up on my feet and hurriedly helped up my partner, who seemed to be in a daze still.

"Giant monster out and about and you guys were gonna get it on? You've got guts, I'll tell ya that." Said Yang with her grin growing even wider as she stepped forward a bit.

All I heard from my partner was the silentest of red faced squeals.

"It's not like that, and I pushed us out of the way so we wouldn't get turned into meaty pancakes. We fell and that's that. You gonna stand there and keep imagining some weird fling fantasy or are you gonna help us kill that thing?" I said dusting myself off.

"Have we met before?" Asked Xiao Long.

Yes but it's still too soon to see your blonde-

God, Ezdeil still had me on edge. Calm down.

"That's DICL's leader, Dante." said Blake.

At least she knows what's what. Wait, did I just see her her bow-?

Nah, couldn't have been…

"You're the one who survived that hoodlum Ezdeil?" Asked the ice queen.

What, was surviving the depressing princess' punch that big of a deal?

Seriously, I am way too aggressive right now because of him. Stop that me.

"Is it that big of a deal?"

"Concerning his reputation already, it's a miracle if anything."

Miracle, huh?

"Right then. So let's see… There's ten of us as a group now minus the other students." I said turning my head to see the hydra focusing on other students moving around about the forest, "Quite honestly, I think if we strategize a plan quickly enough, we can take it down in no time. Is there anyone else out here that we can make use of?" I asked.

"RGDS and JNPR are making sure to evacuate students that were caught out here and such, so they're pretty much out." Said Nori.

"But as it seems, no one has been strong enough to finish the creature off." Added Bailey as she crossed her arms. "Where is Simply Leonard and your sister?" She asked me.

"Oh, those two?" I started as I rubbed the back of my neck, "Yeah, they're doing homework right now."

Most of them looked jaw dropped.

"They're uh...competing against each other. And my sister Ciel is a bit of a hothead and very competitive. Especially against my brother Leo. But we'll have to make due without them for now. So, what exactly do we know about this beasty?"

"Tough exterior hide that's armor-like and extremely resistant to fire." Said Blake nodding her head in the Drakian's direction, "Gunfire isn't effective in the slightest. Unless, you want to make it angry that is."

"It'll be good for distractions at least." Said Ruby.

"Right… But my question is if… No, it couldn't possibly work… Could it..?"

"What would?" Asked Inuba.

"Remember Hercules and his battle with the Hydra?" I said referring to the old myths of my old world.

"I see!"

"See what?" Asked Yang.

"Analysis: Beacon Academy Student Dante wishes to separate its heads one by one." Spoke a new voice that sounded like a male, only mechanical-like and monotonous.

From behind Bailey, we all saw something fly up near her left shoulder and float in the air. It was some sort of machine with a black metal colored body and white line highlights that pulsated every three or so seconds. The main shape of its body was like that of flat hexagon, only the rear portion was elongated by at least a foot into a fine spear-like point, giving it a total length of about 19 inches.

On its front facing point, metal covered its entire top, forming an upwards and backwards slant in a diagonal formation before slanting back down towards the elongated rear point. It was there we saw more white, pulsating lines forming alongside the inner edges of its body. There was another v-shaped white line further inwards, which I assumed to be its "eyes" and how it could see.

On its underside near the sides with points where two robotic arms, each with three, flat finger-like appendages, two on one side, one on the other. It's circular "palms" seemed to have closed off gaps. What for though?

"And what exactly might you be?" I asked our mechanical newcomer.

"I am Support Unit SOL 004, assigned to Bailey Lianna to provide different means of support on and off the battlefield." It replied to my question.

"You didn't have this gizmo with you during initiation. New toy?"

"He was sent to me after initiation. My mother wasn't able to finish him until after I arrived and sent SOL to me immediately after."

"Your mother is an scientist of sorts?" I asked.

"Something of the sort."

"Introductions can be held later. Now, you suggest cutting off that creature's heads?" Asked Musashi stepping forward.

"Yes and no. We aren't simply going to cut off its head and be done with it. If the myths I know about correlate with this creature, it'll grow those heads of it back after we cut them off."

"Then why cut off its heads in the first place?" Asked Weiss.

"Like I said, we aren't going to just cut its heads off. After we cut one off, immediately after, my partner Inuba will close in and use her flames to sear the neck wounds closed, that way it can't grow them back."

"But it's resistant to fire, right?" Said Yang.

"It's outer body is. But that doesn't mean it's the same for its flesh on the inside. Besides, my partners flames are pretty powerful, so it'll get the job done. Right?" I asked turning my head towards Inuba.

"Right." She replied with a nod.

Before we could continue further, we heard some sort of girlish scream that made us look around quickly in surprise.

"Was that a girl?" I asked, eyes still searching.

"No, I think that was Jaune." Said Ruby, who soon pointed up at said Arc in the sky "Wait, there he is!"

We all watched him fly away towards the cliffside, each of us potentially wondering if he was going to survive.

"Analysis: Given Beacon Academy Student Jaune Arc's trajectory, he will more than likely survive his flight and escape with moderate damage to his person."

"Thanks for the heads up SOL…" I replied while watching Jaune fly past…

Who was that on the cliffside? I see a beanie… Is that Ray Chroma from RDGS?

He was just standing there on the cliffside, completely frozen while Jaune flew past him. I focused my vision and saw him…trembling. Was he afraid of this thing?

From the corner of my eye, I saw the Drakian Hydra fire off a few more jets of boiling water in different directions of the forest to get rid of the smaller students trying to stop it. And is it did, I saw Ray flinch with each blast.

Wait…he wasn't afraid of that thing specifically… Is he afraid of water?

We all focused our attention to an actual screaming girl that tripped and fell to floor hard while retreating from the Hydra. It didn't grant her its fulls attention, and so only momentarily whipped one of its heads at her to fire off a bullet-like blast of water instead of stream.

Unfortunately, none of us were close enough to get to her, and even if I sent out one of my Aura Swords in her direction to teleport to, I still wouldn't make it.

Basically? She was done for.

She actually would have been if Ray didn't land down in front of her.

Let's see what you're made of Chroma.

Ray lifted up his right foot slightly before strongly stomping on the ground, creating large jagged shards of HardLight that rose up from the ground and trailed towards the creature Grimm, cutting through the blast of boiling water and crashing into the Grimm's main body, forcing it backwards a few meters.

This gave the girl he was protecting ample time to run away with a flock of students that came from the side clearings of the forest to move towards the entryway that would take them back to Beacon.

Great. Looks like he's pissed it off…

"Alright, split off and quickly surround this thing. We're gonna take one head at a time. I'll be moving around where you guys are while keeping this things main focus on me. You guys will take off its heads."

They all nodded and acknowledged my suggestion and moved onwards quickly to take up their positions, Nori and Kaliel being the closest to Inuba and myself.

"Right then… We're taking the first head, so-"

"Hey!"

A short red haired girl, whom I only recognized as Scarlet Rubine from RGDS, and surprisingly their leader, approached us with her weapon that looked like a double bladed bardiche with a repeating cannon.

"Scarlet, right?" I asked.

"Y-yeah."

"Alright, you're helping us take the first head. Got a way to draw its attention towards us?"

She only nodded and let out a slight grin and raised up her weapon, taking aim before firing a powerful shot from her mounted gun that made a rather explosive impact with one of the Hydra's outer heads, its gaze drawing to us.

We saw it's head jolt back slightly before rushing at us high speed with its jaws wide open, prompting us to leap away from its gargantuan mouth as it dug into the earth slightly. I took the chance to rush back in and plunged my sword downwards into its neck near its head, and grabbed my handle with both hands. I kept its head down to ground as much as possible, and tried keeping it in place, but with its strength, it was slowly dragging me back towards its main body with each quick tug.

"Now would be a good time for the slashy slashy!" I shouted.

Scarlet snapped to attention and ran towards the head I held onto and leapt up into the air before immediately plunging down and and slashing through its neck in one clean swoop.

Inuba immediately followed in after Scarlet's clean cut and flicked her hand towards the stump I still held down, her brilliant white flames emerging a second after and blanketing its headless neck. The blast, like I predicted, was enough to sear its flesh completely shut. With that, the long neck went limp as was now useless to the creature.

"Nice work!" I said removing my sword from the lifeless neck, "Go back up your teammate there with evacuating everyone and we'll take care of the rest." I said pointing in Ray's direction

She only gave me a quick nod before heading off towards her partner, who was crouched with his hands resting on the ground to make a large portion of violet HardLight that acted like a barrier for those escaping.

Without wasting time, Inuba and I quickly moved on towards Nori and Kaliel, ready and set to take their head.

"Got anything to cut it with?" I asked the almost monk-like Nori.

"Ready for this?" He said with a smile.

He raised up the right arm that his beads were wrapped around, ten of those beads separating from the link around his arm and floated in the air above his head in an arranged circle, the ten beads enlarging into baseball sized orbs that glowed with red Aura in the center of the formed circle.

Nori quickly reached inside the Aura with his right hand, the Aura a portal of sorts, and quickly reared his hand back. From the small portal of Aura, he pulled out a massive double edged sword larger than himself, Nori being 6'5 and the sword being seven ft. tall, and was almost as wide as the wielder, which meant the ultra greatsword could be used as a shield against projectiles and other types of attacks. The massive sword had no crossguard and was thicker than one foot long handle. A single large bolt held the blade and hilt together.

When Nori finished pulling his sword out of his portal, he planted the blade point in the ground and raised up his right arm, allowing the orbs to shrink back down to marble-sized beads and reconnect to the rest of the link on his arm.

"Dude…" I said with some form of shock, "That's your weapon?"

"Yup." He said easily slinging the massive sword on his shoulder.

"Nice."

"I know."

We fist bumped each other before Nori asked the almighty question of the night, "So, how are we chopping off this head?" He asked pointing to the one closest to us.

"Well, seeing as you have the massive sword, you're going to be chopper for this one. In fact…"

I looked around quickly and spotted a decently sized formation of rock that formed a miniature cliff and already hatched a good plan for this head.

"You're going to be using that. Kaliel and I will draw its head in as close as possible, then you creep up on it and pounce the thing. You can jump with that thing, right?"

Not to be rude or anything, but Nori didn't exactly look musclely enough to even swing that thing since he was a bit scrawny, even if he was slightly toned.

"It's all good man. This sword isn't so heavy for me as it is for everyone else."

"Good. Set up on the cliff and we'll work on getting that head closer."

I turned to Kaliel, who had just fixed her azure blue glasses, to see her holding a black grain wooden staff that was 5'2, two inches shorter than herself, and looked as though different strands of the wood had been twisted together to form it. At the tip of the staff, entwined within the strands, was a clear, diamond shaped gem. It only took me a few more seconds to realize her profession.

"You're a Mage?" I asked.

"Wha-?! Oh, y-yes!" She replied rather nervously.

"What's your specialty or focus?"

"Crystal magic…" she replied in a hushed tone.

"Crystal magic? Nice."

If the lands of Lordran and Drangleic taught me anything, it was that crystal magic was a serious pain in the ass to deal with. Let's see what she can do with it.

"You can shoot projectiles I assume?"

She nodded, and without speaking another word, she slowly waved her staff over her head to form four large orbs of azure blue Aura that floated in a half arc circle above her.

"Alright, we're going to be making it angry and drawing it closer to us. Most importantly, you cast your magic while constantly moving, otherwise this thing will likely catch up to, got it?"

"G-Got it!"

Kaliel twirled her staff once and thrusted in the direction of the Drakian, her orbs of Aura quickly taking on a crystalline-like shape in the form of massive spear points that shot off with blinding speed towards the head closest to us, piercing into its skin to create deep enough gashes and grab its attention, prompting her to start running as I ran a wider distance between us.

She wasn't casting those magic spears of her as much, but she didn't need to all too much since I was also sending a bunch of my Aura Swords its way to pass its attention back and forth between us, keeping most of its attention on me since I was less at risk.

I looked back and saw Nori crouching low to avoid being seen by the head snaking through the forest floor shooting short blasts of its high pressure boiling water at Kaliel and myself. When it got close enough, I gave Nori a thumbs up as he returned one right back before leaping off the small cliff, sword still slung over his shoulder. As he quickly fell, Nori grabbed his massive sword with both hands and brought it down on the neck of the hydra, cleaving through its hide in one slash as he landed safely on the forest floor.

"Your turn!" He shouted behind him towards Inuba as she dashed in from behind.

Nori lowered his sword to the ground so that Inuba could plant her feet onto the flat side, then spun around once as he roared and swung his blade, launching my kitsune partner forward at high speeds as she twirled once in the air and flicked her hand once more at the fresh stump, searing the second neck.

When Inuba landed back on the ground safely, she regrouped with the three of us to discuss our next plan of attack.

"Who's next to you in terms of the rotation we're going in?"

"Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee I think." Said Nori, slinging his sword over his shoulder.

"Alright, you guys be safe moving around this thing, but at least try to keep it occupied and distracted on us, that way it won't move towards Chroma who's trying to keep the evacuees safe."

"Got it." Said Nori as he gave me a thumbs up, then nodded at Kaliel to follow him.

We sprinted as fast as we could, following the Scroll signals of the Schnee heiress and reaper in red until we eventually found them using the tree line as cover.

"How's it going?"

"Not as well as I'd like…" said Weiss while keeping her gaze focused on the Hydra.

"First time fighting a monster of this size?"

"Something of the sort." She replied finally shifting her gaze to me, "What plan of attack might you have?"

"Well, what can you do?"

"Glyph based magic of different variations using dust."

"That'll work nicely. What about your leader?"

"She has a speed Semblance that amplifies her moving speed."

"Is that right? She'll be useful for this then. Where is she actually?"

"Present!"

She said dropping down from the trees between myself and Inuba, an eager expression across the red reapers face.

"How fast can you go?"

"Like...really fast."

I could hear Weiss facepalm at the simplicity of her leaders answer.

"Good enough for me."

"What, really?!" asked Weiss.

"Oh yeah! I actually spotted something earlier!"

She waved her hand for me to follow her over and halted just a few feet before the clearing, raising up her scythe weapon and looking through its scope to find whatever it is she was looking for.

"Where is it..? Come on..! Aha! Found it!"

She motioned me in to move closer to her, and I did as she moved her head out of the way for me to see through her scope. Not that I needed it, but hey, appearances and all.

"The left side of its chest. See it?"

That's the gape Ezdeil made.

"What about it?"

"Maybe instead of cutting off all the heads, we can try to go for its heart. Then again, lesser heads means lesser trouble when trying to take out its heart. So we can try for both."

I've never had to fight a Hydra-like monster before. I only know what I know front the myths with Hercules and other records of mythology I found in Greece and The Plane of Angels. Never did they say anything about striking its heart. Usually I'd think it would be useless since this thing can regrow its heads. But it's a Grimm, so there's bound to be differences. Maybe it's heart will kill it instead of us needing to physically crush it.

"So...here's what I was thinking. You guys can keep it distracted while I shoot that exposed spot on its chest. And if that doesn't work, I'll use my baby to finish it off!"

She call her weapon her baby… She's...an interesting individual.

"Don't do anything too risky. Back off as soon as you think there's danger."

"But..!"

"No buts." I said poking her in the forehead, "We don't need you getting hurt out there so soon. Just do what you can and with little risk to yourself, alright?"

"F-Fine…" she said a little red in the face before softly slapping the sides of her cheeks to refocus herself.

"I'm assuming you have projectile magic?" I asked.

She only gave me a proud huff as she raised up her rapier-esque weapon, its tip glowing an ice blue color, and then flicked its point towards the Drakian, sending forth six large bolt-like streams of icy blue energy that flickered and danced in the air, making impact with the creatures hide and leaving numerous dents in its jaw.

We definitely had the next heads attention.

Before I could tell her to, I saw Ruby had already zoomed off, cautiously moving between the trees as to not draw attention to herself.

Good.

Weiss and I nodded towards one another and took to Ruby's strategy of moving in between the trees, only now, we had two heads focused on us instead of one. Weiss used her glyphs to avoid her heads advances to crush her and its use of its high pressure water. Apparently she had glyphs that accelerated her in different directions, as well as barrier glyphs to block damage.

Me? I just had my own speed, strength and Semblance. Speaking of which…

I looked behind me and saw my head ready itself to fire off another shot of its deadly water. I had a technique in mind, but I wanted to save it for the best possible moment. So instead, I quickly slashed at a tree near me and completely severed it from its stump, then grabbed on to it quickly and tossed it in the direction of the head aiming for me.

It shot out a short burst shot of its boiling water, and when it made contact with the tree, it nearly shattered the large mass of wood in its entirety, but thankfully not all of it since I was now riding on the larger mass that didn't shatter. I quickly hopped off the the flying hunk of wood and reached the height of the head that stared straight at me, prompting me to quickly summon an Aura Sword and straight toss it into the creatures eyes, forcing a bellowing roar of pain from it.

Since my Aura made weapon was still stuck in it, I could use my next move, Embedded Shift. My body vanished in a quick streak of forward moving white and black and Aura, and instantly reappeared directly where my Aura Sword was embedded in its eye. I moved to stab it again, but it seemingly caught on to my plan and rocked it's head up, launching me high above it into the sky.

When I reoriented myself in the air, I saw its maw wide open and ready to fire off another shot of its deadly water. But no water came.

Down below, a massive bolt of white flame quickly flew from the forest and pierced through the bottom of the creature's jaw and through the top of its head, rocking its head backwards and exposing its throat to me.

Thank you for the opening.

I brought my arms in to quicken my descent, and when close enough, brought my sword to my side and slashed outwards, cutting through its neck entirely in one swing. As I moved past the neck, I landed on the creatures massive scaly body, then immediately jumped off in the direction of my partner, where she had her hand extended outward towards the freshly made stump and shot out another bolt of her white flame, searing it completely.

Looking towards Weiss to see where she had progressed, we saw that her Hydra head had numerous frost covered gashes making a circular formation on its neck, all in a near perfect alignment. It became clear to me soon enough what the young heiress had planned. We watched her shoot out more streams of icy blue energy, six like she had done originally with her first volley, and flick her rapier in fluid motions like a musician, controlling each of the six streams as to avoid contact with everything else.

The streams moved about the hydra's neck until they formed a circle-like formation, and then, Weiss ended her symphony with a downward flick, making the bolts pierce through the gashes she worked on deepening and move through numerous directions of its neck, effectively separating the head from the body.

With that, Inuba quickly aimed her palm at the stump and shot another blast of her white fire at the neck to seal it up.

Now there were only five out of the nine heads left.

But where was Ruby?

Some thrashing and gunfire in the distance drew both mine and Inuba's eyes towards the reaper in red, whom we saw dashing around the short blasts and streams of high pressure water that tore into the earth with each attack. Her fire was constantly focused on the gap, each of her shots getting nearer and nearer to the gap.

It was honestly impressive how calm and accurate she was under pressure from something colossal compared to her. The trees fell around her, the earth splintered and cracked from the beasts attacks, but she kept pressing forward nonetheless. As she got closer, her shots were more on point and began entering the gap made by the ruler of depressing and edginess, but as to what effect they had was something we could not determine at the moment.

Bullet after bullet enetered, and yet there was no difference, only that the remaining Hydra heads began noticing her, as now two out of the remaining five began focusing on Ruby with great intensity, each head interchanging their attacks between shot burst and constant streams. And yet she avoided them all.

Ruby had a straight shot towards the gap, and leapt up into the air, using both the force of her Semblance and the momentum of her gun quickly and constantly firing, to propel her forward at intense and blinding speed. When she got close enough, I was pretty sure see saw her target, it's heart, raised up her weapon while flying towards it and swung her scythe deep into the gap.

Nice, she-!

It was still moving. And so to did Ruby Rose see it continuing to move around, only now it was angrily roaring and moving its body about to try and shake off the little reaper from its body. I couldn't see what it was Ruby saw, but I could she was surprised before she kicked off the beast.

Unfortunately, her ammo clip was empty, so she could not propel herself away midair like she could normally. But I soon took a closer look and saw something else. Her scythe blade was slightly warped and melted, making it unusable any further in this fight. That was the least of her problems however. Unable to dodge or attack effectively, I saw a decently sized piece of debris half her size fly into her from the Hydra's next attack. She used her weapon to minimize the damage, but from the pained expression I saw on her face, it didn't negate all of it.

When the debris hit her, she was sent flying even further. It was time to move.

I tossed an Aura sword in the direction of her trajectory and appeared behind Ruby in a stream of my white and black Aura, and let her collide into me while I wrapped my arm around her waist to keep her with me. My feet finally found the ground and I skidded backwards a considerable distance until I finally halted, exhaling momentarily before moving into the clearing to avoid the Drakian Hyrda's gaze.

I stopped behind a large tree and checked on the little reaper that I had caught, seeing her grip weaken on her weapon to the point it slipped out of her hand. I quickly plunged my own longsword into the ground and caught her weapon as I knelt down, gently setting it against the tree as I checked on her.

She was still breathing and conscious, but fairly weak at this moment. I wasn't a medical expert, but I did have basic knowledge for most things. If anything, I'd have to refer to Inuba, since she has proficient medical experience. Normally, she would use her magic, Cleansing Flames, to heal injuries of numerous varieties.

Even so, she was encouraged to study how to heal wounds normal without usage of magic. She's studied a lot of areas from kinesiology, to virology for diseases, to surgery, emergency aid treatment and many others. As far as I know, she's still studying various fields in order to increase her knowledge.

Speaking of which, Inuba and Weiss ran over to us where I lay Ruby down, my partner kneeling besides me to check on the young reaper.

"How bad is she?"

"Not too bad… I think…" I replied to Inuba while we both checked over Ruby, "Debris hit her, but her Aura couldn't handle the rest of damage."

I moved my hand to Ruby's right and she winced immediately when I touched it. I looked closer at her wrist and found the problem.

"Dislocated wrist…" I touched her sides where she took most of the impact, but the wincing wasn't as bad, "And some bruising from what I could tell. Ruby?"

Her head turned slightly towards me, and the two of us noticed she was having a hard time focusing on either of us, and seemingly struggling with keeping conscious.

"How many fingers am I holding up currently?" Asked Inuba raising up two fingers.

It took her a few moments but she finally answered.

"Um…four..? Ugh… I think I'm gonna be sick…" she replied rather weakly.

"Dizziness, nausea, and a delayed response. It would seem she's suffering from a concussion as well. Overall, there doesn't seem to be anything else wrong for the moment." Said Inuba.

"Right…"

I picked up Ruby's weapon, and after a few moments of examining it, saw Blake and Yang emerge from the clearing, Yang very concerned with the well being of her younger sister.

"What happened to her?! What's wrong?!"

"Nothing all too serious. A dislocated wrist and a minor concussion is the only serious problems we could find for the moment. Please take her to the infirmary now, and if there is no one to treat her due to the influx of other students, I'll personally treat her myself when we're finished here."

We all heard the ear piercing roar of the hydra as it stomped at the ground in a separate section of the forest and used its heads to fire off more boiling blasts of water

"Go now!" said my partner as she motioned the three to evacuate with their leader.

I handed Blake Ruby's scythe and let the members of RWBY pass me as they head for the exit to join the others.

"Who's left with us now?" I asked.

"Ms. Lianna and ms. Ryūjinhonō as I recall."

And we still have five more heads to go. But now that I think of it, Ruby may have had a point in going for the core. But what stopped her? Why didn't it die when she pierced it with her scythe?

"Alright, here's what we're doing. Bailey, Musashi and the two of us will work to take away one more head. Afterwards, we focus on evacuating the remaining students and then take that thing out by hitting its core."

"Are you...going to use it..?" Asked Inuba.

I told myself earlier that I was saving up a technique to use on this thing. But truthfully, there was also another trick I had up my sleeve. Unfortunately, I couldn't use either really until I knew everyone was safe.

"I might have to when we get to the final stretch of the fight. Let's go."

Within three minutes times, we found Musashi and Bailey while tracking their Scroll signals.

"Alright you two, we're taking one last head to bring it down to four. Then, we're taking the fight straight to it."

"What do you mean?" Asked Bailey

"Analysis: Beacon Academy student Dante intends to strike at the Drakian Hydra's core after severing another head to make the approach safer."

"What SOL said." I replied pointing my thumb at the floating Support Unit.

"So what will the four of us be doing?" Asked Bailey.

"Well, Inuba is gonna be there for after we lob the head off. As for the head chopping, you and I will be handling that part. If you're able to sneak up on both me and my brother, then I don't need to question your abilities with that sword of yours." I said pointing to her katana.

"I know how to fight well enough on my own without anyone telling me how to."

"Like I said, I won't question your ability, I know you're good enough as is. So, we'll be cutting the head off the one closest to us. And Musashi-"

I looked all around us, unable to find our highly aggressive dragon Faunus ally.

"Where the heck did she go?"

"Hypothesis: Given Beacon Academy Student Musashi's aggressive combat style, she has likely gone out to face the enemy."

"She what?!" I silently shouted.

"Hahaha! Is this all you can do you worthless reptile?!" Sounded a voice in the distance.

"Correction: Beacon Academy Student Musashi is engaged in combat with the enemy." Noted SOL.

"Yeah, I noticed. Wait, she might be perfect as a distraction. How durable is she?"

"I wasn't able to find much about her combat abilities, but I know for a fact there's been reports of places Musashi has been where she directly took both bladed weapons and gunfire directly without any scratches." Said Bailey.

"As in weapon to skin contact?" I asked a bit dumbfounded.

"Yes."

Holy crap…

No wonder she likes picking fights with strong people. She has tough skin. Literally. It must be a characteristic of her dragon Faunus heritage. That or it's a part of her Semblance, which I still don't know anything about.

"Alright… Let's move in to chop a head off when it focuses on Musashi."

"Understood."

With that, Bailey and I moved up silently and leapt up into the tallest tree we could find that was closest to the hydra and Musashi. As for the dragon Faunus herself...well...she was just taunting the thing. How fearless is she?

"Come at me with everything you have beast!" She said pointing up at the creature with one hand on her hip.

"Is she always this bold and aggressive?"

"Always." Replied Bailey.

"Oh good."

One of the five remains heads focused on Musashi and opened its maw wide before shooting a large stream of high pressure, boiling hot water. And what did our dragon Faunus do?

She simply chuckled as she crossed her arms, and then stomped on the floor with her right foot. As she did so, a huge chunk of the earth rose up in front of her from the force of her stomp, acting as a decent shield against the stream of water that crashed into it.

The stream stopped moments later, and Musashi still stood as she did, arms crossed and smiling confidently at the massive creature before her. And the hydra, seemingly frustrated with her still standing as if nothing happened, thrusted it's one head forward, maw wide and open to devour the dragon Faunus.

All Musashi did was step off to the side to avoid its massive head, and landed a powerful side kick directly to its jaw, creating a small shockwave from the impact. When out of its daze, the hydra head looked back to Musashi, only to watch as she planted her fist directly underneath its mouth and sent its head reeling backwards with extreme force.

This was the opening we needed.

Without saying a word to one another, Bailey and I leapt out of the tree high into sky, our dash taking us directly to the now exposed neck. But as we approached, we began losing momentum; it was still far enough away. Instead of taking a chance for both of us trying to make it, I grabbed hold of Bailey's left hand, spun her around once and threw her towards the neck.

With the momentum I gave her from my throw, Bailey rocketed towards the hydra head with tremendous speed and spun once as she cleaved straight through its neck in a clean sweep, moving directly past it. It didn't need there however. I saw my partner approaching me in the air from behind, grabbed hold of her hand and gave her a boost as well, allowing her to fly high up towards the stump spin around once, and flick her hand at the neck-stump, shooting forth a jet of white flame that now seared our fifth neck.

* * *

Both Inuba and Bailey landed on the creatures body, then hopped off to join me on the ground as we took cover in the forest. Musashi however decided to stand her ground and mock the creature further. Until I forcibly dragged her back into the forest with us.

"Unhand me! I have to go kill that creature!"

"No, the two of us are going to kill that thing." I said waving to Inuba and myself, "Now that we lessened the heads, we have a chance to go for its core and finish it off for good."

"Like hell I'll agree to that!" Said Musashi with her voice raised slightly.

"I have to agree with Musashi. Even if there's only four heads now, that Drakian Hydra is still going to be tough to kill with just two people alone." Added Bailey.

"You guys still haven't seen what just the two of us can do exactly. See, we needed everyone to clear out in the first place so we could do what we do best. Which is killing things like that. Problem is, even with the amount of control we have on our powers, they're still highly destructive. Which is why we needed everyone out. With about no one here, we can cut loose a bit."

"Are you sure about this?" Asked Bailey.

"We're sure. We'd be more comfortable knowing the two of you are helping with evacuating and protecting the rest of the students. Especially with your strength ms. Ryūjinhonō. So please, will you retreat for now to help everyone else?" Pleaded my partner.

Musashi seemingly had a hard time trying to back down from the argument, but then smiled softly before chuckling.

"You have guts fox, I'll give you that. Fine then. We'll give you the spotlight for now. What?!"

We looked in the direction Musashi did and noticed that the hydra was beginning to move towards the direction of the people under evacuation, its heads focused on Ray Chroma specifically since he was the largest target with his HardLight shields.

And it did exactly that. It assaulted the shield wall Ray had set up, firing shots of its high pressure water at his shielding, some of them missing and some of them dead on with his shielding. The first few hits held up nicely, but with the constant duress, it was starting to put cracks in the violet HardLight wall.

"Back me up when you can!"

"Wait!" I heard my partner call from behind me.

But I was already off.

The hydra was picking up its pace since it seemed it was really ticked off it lost five heads. And what better to take its frustration out on than a nice big target to crush?

I kept up pace, my legs moving quickly to try and outrun the behemoth moving next to me. Eventually, I did manage to run ahead of it and summoned an Aura sword, lunging forward into a roll as I tossed the damn thing with all my might.

It flew forward a considerable distance and plunged itself into the ground about fifteen meters away from Ray and the group that were still trying to flee, but with the constant ranged attacks, it made it impossible for team RWBY, RGDS, Nori and Kaliel to escape. So I had to make my stand.

I reappeared in a stream of my white and black Aura where my Aura Sword lay and hit the ground mid-roll, rolling onto my feet into a low crouch. I stood back up and moved my sword to the side, soon taking a slow stride forward towards the creature approaching us.

Let's see what else you can do.

My slow stride turned into a quick paced run, sword lowered to my side as I went into a full on sprint towards the hydra, which took note of me and let out a loud roar with its heads flailing about wildly and angrily.

When it was getting within range, I skidded to a sudden halt, firmly planted my feet into the ground, and then swung my blade at the colossal foot trying to step on me. I pushed against it and it pushed back, but it was about to learn that this human sized person wasn't so feeble as to get squashed.

I let out a loud roar and tensed up the muscles in my arms before pushing the gigantic foot away. It tried to stomp on me once more, and I too swung my sword at its foot yet again, only this time, when I forced it back, I made the hydra skid backwards onto its feet a few meters away from me to the point its large tumbled to the ground, shaking the earth as it did.

Then, it did something unexpected. All four of its heads got close together and shot out streams of high pressure water, the streams suddenly combing together, due to their closeness, and significantly added more force to its attack.

I couldn't move out of the way since the stream would hit Ray and the others. I only had one option now. Block.

The water made strong impact with me as I plunged my sword into the ground and let both it and my body take the burnt of the powerful attack. It was difficult to breath with all the water, and very annoying to push back against this strong of a force. If I had to describe it...it was like being rapidly dragged down to the depths of the ocean, only, its was seemingly never ending.

That, or being doused by a hundred fire hoses.

All that mattered was that it was focused on my completely as it slowly forced me down to the ground since it's heads managed to rear up high enough to be blasting me from above and into the ground.

A few seconds later, the intense rush of water stopped and I lay on the ground, not moving. Was it because I was in pain? No. Was it because I was scared? Definitely no.

I was pissed now. And wanted to kill the damn thing even quicker now.

"Damn it!" I shouted as I slammed my left hand into the ground, cracking the earth underneath palm.

I heard the surprise gasping of those behind as I stood back up slowly, most, if not all of them, expecting me to have died from such and attack.

I don't drop dead so easily.

"I've had enough of your crap!" I shouted at the creature, feeling a force overtake my eyes.

I quickly looked down to confirm what was present, seeing my reflection in the settling puddle of water at my feet. The whites of my eyes, my sclerae, were now pitch black, and my bright sky blue irises now a glowing white. My pupils remained the same. So, what did this mean exactly?

My Shadow Eyes were present.

Without wasting anymore time, I stepped forward with my right foot whilst pointing my blade at the Drakian Hydra, now fully stood up and seemingly waiting for me to make my move.

That would be a mistake.

My white and black Aura had now turned pitch black as it surrounded me in numerous, violent torrents, whipping about me like fire. And then, when I swiped my sword to the side and stepped forward again with my left foot, those streams of black Aura all converged onto my person and consumed me entirely.

I felt the power flow through me and strengthen me, my senses now much sharper and far more focused than previously. It was done.

When the black Aura subsided slowly, my body was entirely encased in twisted and slightly jagged segments of black armor, all the way from my feet to my neck, where certain gaps in the armor, or second skin, glowed white. My entire head was encased in a sort of black helmet-like mask, with slanted eyeholes that showed my Shadow Eyes, two long horns on the sides of my head that stood straight, slightly curving inwards before curving outwards slightly as well. A white, jagged zigzag line formed where my mouth would be.

I had assumed my the form of my Shadow Skin, a second skin-like ability that covers my entire body and significantly boosts all of my parameters, hence why I felt my focus more sharper and clear. It's appearance was like that of a menacing black armored demon, like it was intended to be.

I noticed a difference in my sword now. The colors had reversed entirely. Where the main body and different areas were once white, were now pitch black in color, the different highlights and edges now a pure white color.

I never got to test this new form out. Now was the time for it.

I let out a hollow, echoing roar that sounded slightly distorted as it bellowed through the area for all, even the hydra to hear. And with that, I leaned forward, took a step or two, and kicked off the ground, cracking the earth under my feet as I did

I propelled myself forward at intense and blinding speed, my form gliding over the ground as I traveled across the forest floor, covering the large gap between the Drakian Hydra and myself within a matter of a few seconds. When I was at its feet, I quickly planted my feet into the earth and kicked off it once more, launching myself up into the air with blinding speed.

The hydra reacted accordingly, and spastically shot out streams of its deadly water at will in an attempt to stop me. As I continued flying in the air from the momentum I gave myself from the kick off on the ground, I became a blur of black in between each stream, disappearing and reappearing instantly between the streams, ever so higher and closer to the last four heads.

I immediately pushed past everything and now was completely above the colossal monster, it now having to look up to me in the sky to see me. Without hesitation, I raised up my sword, and with another bellowing, distorted roar, I slammed down upon the heads. But the hydra was not finished. Before my strike could connect, its four remaining heads closed in with one another and shot another combined stream of high pressure, boiling hot water.

My longsword and it's stream connected, colliding against one another as I refused to be pushed back from my place in the air, and the hydra refusing to be pushed back. I continued pushing forward as the combined streams now became dozens of new streams from making contact of my blade. I wasn't pushing any further, and it was only making me angrier.

Thankfully, my partner came to the rescue.

Soon enough, I saw nine large torrents of brilliant white flame emerge from behind the Drakian Hydra, each torrent of flame as long as one neck, and wrapped tightly around all four remaining necks, ironically now making it one head. Even so, it still continued shooting its water as I looked behind it, seeing my partner tug her katana, where the white torrents of flame emerged, back as hard as she could, only succeeding slightly.

Then, I saw Musashi and Bailey run up to her, and placed their hands wherever they could on Inuba's katana to help her pull pack the hydras tangled necks. With one mighty pull from the combined effort of the three girls, they succeeding in completely pulling back the hydra's heads and pulled back even further to completely but the massive creature on its back, completely exposing its chest for me.

Now we end this.

Without a second to spare, I backflipped in the air once with my armored legs pulled in slightly, then concentrated my now black and white Aura to my fight and kicked off, allowing me to propel forward at lighting fast speed back down to the ground where the hydra lay, unable to rear its heads up to attack me since Inuba, Bailey and Musashi still kept its heads back with Inuba's flame torrents.

As I fell, my eyes finally saw why Ruby had initially failed with her deathblow attack. It's core, or it's heart, was encased in a tough exterior shell that exuded a large source of heat, which is why Ruby's bullets could not damage it and why her weapon became unusable after striking at its core.

My sword wouldn't fail.

A few feet away from its chest now, I spread out my arms and legs and reared back my right arm that held my longsword before letting out another short roar and stabbing my sword directly in the gap in its chest, my longsword immediately piercing through the shell and its core with enough force that it sent out a massive shockwave and completely shattered the earth beneath the hydra from the immense force of my strike.

But it wasn't over. Not until after this.

Inuba already knew what I was up to and moved back with Bailey and Musashi, so that they could avoid the potential blast zone.

Now was the time to use it.

I quickly placed my entire hand over the crossguard of my longsword and spoke the words of my deadliest technique.

"Devouring Light!"

Immediately when I spoke those two words, black and white Aura instantly flowed from my sword into a massive, violent torrent of Aura that instantaneously melted through and dug into the hydra's body. The massive torrent of destructive, super-densified Aura grew to larger proportions, taking on a jagged, thin cone-shape as it already passed through the colossal Grimm and tore into the earth, making the ground tremble and quake with great intensity that it made it very difficult for those in the area to stand.

After a few seconds, the violent torrent of Aura had died down, the quaking soon stopping shortly after. All that was left of the now dead hydra was a heaping, smoldering pile of black flesh and white plated bone that slowly seeped into the deep chasm my technique, Devouring Light, had created.

My armored feet soon touched the ground, letting out a hollow, echoing thud as I stood back up straight and watched the massive body slowly dissolve and fade away into nothingness.

Thinking there was no more pending threats, I raised up my clawed, armored left hand and let the tips of my fingers touch the metallic facemask that covered my entire head. When I quickly dragged my fingers down and behind my back, the menacing, imposing form I took on had immediately dissolved into wisps of black Aura and faded into the moonlit night sky, reverting me back to my normal, human-like form.

Giving a final glance at the dissolving mass of what used to be a colosal Drakian Hydra, I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, my eyes drifting to my longsword soon after to see it had reverted to its normal colors of white being the main body with black highlights instead of the opposite. It was...a strange effect to observe.

Maybe it symbolized my change of nature? I didn't quite know. Nor did I really care at the moment. That fight wasn't exactly exhausting for me, but it was really annoying to deal with.

I heard Inuba run up to me and ask in a hushed tone, "Master, is everything well?"

"Yeah, all good here."

"Thank goodness."

Unexpectedly, I soon found my longtime partners arms wrapped around my body in a tight embrace while burying her head and...well...large "objects" into my chest. Almost as if she had just realized what she had done, her hug only lasted for about five seconds before she pulled away quickly, red faced and embarrassed.

Was hugging me that embarrassing for her?

Looking away from Inuba, I turned my attention back towards the cliffside, seeing that Ray Chroma had long since dropped his barrier. Oddly enough, RWBY, RGDS, Nori and Kaliel still had not evacuated and remained where they were, their eyes glued on me. Which meant...that they saw me and all of what I just did. And there was no doubt in my mind Bailey and Musashi had seen as well.

"Great…" I said with a sigh, "I'm gonna need to come up with an explanation for what they all just saw."

"You make it seem as though they might react negatively to your...alternate form." Said Inuba looking at everyone else alongside me.

"If you saw me in that form for the first time ever, how exactly would you react? Eager to walk up and shake my hand? Or terrified after seeing something so...dark and demonic looking?"

"I'd hug you like...l-like I did just now for saving my life. Appearances do not entirely summarize the makings of a person. One could have an imposing form like yours, but could still be the kindest type of person there is."

"One, we both unfortunately know not too many people have that same way of thinking. And two...well...I don't think there's anyone else as kind as caring as you out there."

"W-W-W-What?!" I heard my partner squeak as she slapped her hands on the sides of her reddened face.

I...wanted to move forward...but found myself unable to. My feet felt heavy...like they didn't want to move forward towards everyone else. Was I-?

"It'll be alright, Master." Said Inuba stepping up to my side, "I'll be there with you."

I could only smile at my partner's kind words as she gave me enough courage to move forward. Albeit a slow pace.

Bailey and Musashi rounded around the last dissolving remains of the Drakian Hydra, following behind us as we walked back towards our fellow students. I was still unsure of what to say, what they would say, and how I would respond to them. But I felt more at ease knowing Inuba would be there to help me explain to the others what they just saw.

* * *

 **Hey everyone, sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I've been really sick for the past three days, and that alone made it hard to do anything at all really except rest. I'm still a bit sick now, but to a lesser extent after three days, so I was able to work on editing this chapter. That aside, for those of you who read Veil of the Aether, or those of you from VotA coming here to see what's up, VotA is on a very short break for the time being since my partner in writing the collab, Xera, is on vacation. We've already mapped out everything we need and how we're going to write the next chapter, but writing it together makes it much more easier, especially for cases of character dialogue, actions, mannerisms, etc. More than likely, we'll be back with VotA next Saturday or Sunday, so be prepped for it.**

 **Really all I had to say there, so with that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Right, as explained in VotA, was really sick and had some personal stuff to take care of. Hence why this is getting out so late. So here you go, no huge chunk of speech. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Of Explanations and Neighbors**

«»

"They took that…surprisingly well." said Inuba as she walked alongside me.

After taking a few quick minutes of explaining this and that to everyone else, my partner and I stayed behind to make sure nothing would follow the rest of the students up to safety. Once that happened, we had a nice talk with everyone. Not birds and bees kind of talk, but still as lengthy and slightly confusing. That's if you're an immature fourth or fifth grader and ask stupid questions for the fun of it. Luckily, it wasn't that type of conversation.

* * *

 **(Ten minutes ago...)**

"So… Anyone here gonna ask or what?" Said Yang as she carried Ruby gently away.

"Ask about what?" Nori questioned.

"You know. Pitch black, scary looking, destructoid knight of ultra mega super lasers?" She commented, taking a constant glance at the still conscious and concussed Ruby.

No one was around us, and we were walking a steady pace towards the infirmary. I...guess I could explain. If they really want to know.

"First off, not exactly lasers. Second… Well...you guys sure you want to know about that?" I reaffirmed, Inuba taking a cautious glance at everyone behind us as we continued walking at the head of the pack.

"Dude, you totally smoked that kraken with...whatever that was. Awesome as it was, it's definitely gonna bring up a question or two for all passerbys." Said Nori.

RDGS was at the center of our circle alongside Ruby and Yang, while LMKN and Weiss and Blake covered the sides and rear of our formation, Inuba and I having the front.

We may have taken out the Grimm in the forest, but it was never a bad idea to keep focused and aware of anything, just in case. Although, I could safely say everyone else's attention was focused on potential threats, if there were going to be any. I could feel eyes on me, burning into me with a plethora of questions.

"Will you offer us an explanation?" Asked Bailey.

"Well…"

It's not exactly easy material to divulge to be honest, no matter how badly I wanted to explain this properly so there'd be no confusion.

"Analysis: Beacon Academy Student Dante is hesitant to divulge information regarding his form due to the sensitive nature of information contained." stated SOL as he continued floating a foot above Bailey, "It is understandable as to why he is hesitant to reveal such information, particularly due to the potential of said information not being clearly administered."

"So...he doesn't want to really say anything because we might misunderstand?" asked Blake.

"Pretty much." I replied.

They wouldn't be the first to...well...not enjoy my presence after seeing that form.

"We're not that foolish to entirely take things out of proportion you know."

"You'd be surprised Miss Schnee." I said.

"M-Miss..?"

She almost seemed surprised I was so formal with her.

"Like I said, it's not exactly an easy thing to understand, especially since none of you have seen anything like it before. All it takes is one misunderstanding before people start avoiding you or attacking you for no real reason at all because they don't understand."

"Come on man, we're not that shallow. Right?" Said Nori as he cast a glance over everyone else behind us.

All responses were a collective yes essentially. Even so…

"Past experiences has taught me caution is all. If you guys really want to know…" I looked towards Inuba a moment, my eyes being enough to broadcast my silent question for her, to which she gave a single nod, "then I guess I'll tell you."

I took a deep breath and readied myself to say my piece. And I could tell everyone else had readied themselves one way or another.

"There's a lot more out there than just Grimm. Forces none of you would see naturally unless somehow drawn in by pure coincidence."

"What, like supernatural ghost stuff?" Asked Yang.

"Not exactly, but good on you for guessing supernatural at least." I said shrugging my shoulders, "But yes… The supernatural, paranormal, inter and intra dimensional; all of those exist and more. We've seen them, fought them, and even killed some of them. The evil ones at least. Believe it or not, not everything out of the ordinary is evil. Most are good, some are just confused, others have respectable goals but their methods not as so, then you have the downright pure evil."

"So, which are you?" Asked Blake, "Or better yet, which one's power do you have?"

"More or less 'the bad'. But like I said, not all of them are evil and cruel like many people make them out to be."

"More or less, your power is similar to that of what is considered an evil supernatural being, but you yourself aren't evil or 'bad'." Spoke Weiss.

"Pretty much. My problem, and the problem of some others, is that when people see something scary like, well, me when I transform, they tend to start thinking different things about that person. Know what I mean?"

"We're not that simple minded to think differently of you because you can change form or have some sort of inhumane power." Said Bailey.

"Yeah dude. I mean, who cares? Nothing changes the fact you kicked the crap outta that thing. So in my book, you're a cool guy." said Yang offering me a rather warm smile, "That and you saved my sister, you extra bonus points."

"You know, you guys pretty much made it a lot easier to kill that thing, right? It's not like I took it out on my own." I affirmed, keeping my eyes forward.

"That may be, but the rest was done by you." Said Musashi.

"And dude, let's face it, you looked pretty awesome out there." Said Nori as he gave me a rather forceful pat on the back, "What's that even called by the way? You know, that form of yours?"

"Probably something cheezy like 'Demon Knight' form." Yang said, getting laughs and smirks from everyone.

I even smirked a bit. Though, turning towards Inuba, I could see her giving me a sly smile, her eyes narrowed on me slightly and the tip of her left hand covering her smile slightly.

You cheeky fox of a partner…

I only rolled my eyes and gave them an answer.

"I just kept it simple and called it Shadow Skin, since it's basically a second skin that covers the entire body. It used to be just that, a second layer of skin with high defense and durability."

"So what we saw was an evolved version?" Blake asked.

"Basically."

"Still, Shadow Skin?"

"Come up with something better, and I'll take it into consideration." I answered Yang.

It wasn't long before we approached the main building entrance, where I stopped just short of the doors and turned to face everyone. What I was going to say wasn't going to be easy really. But, fair warning for them and all.

"Look, I'm gonna say to say it. No doubt a bunch of other people saw that ballet-jujitsu nonsense I performed with a side of pyrotechnics," I began, getting a smirk from everyone, "If you want to keep your distance from me when rumors start flying, I won't mind or think any less of any of you. It'd be better that none of you get dragged into it period, least they say-"

"Dude, do we look like the kind of people who care about that sort of thing? As if." Said Yang.

"Yeah man, just like you had our backs out there, we've got your back too. So don't worry about it."

"Right… Thanks." I said before opening the door for them as they finally started to file inside.

"Master." I heard Inuba whisper over to me as she approached, HoloScroll open.

She flipped the screen in my direction so I could see the message for myself.

Apparently Ozpin sent us a summons. Or something like that.

"Hey, Yang was it?" I asked the blonde brawler who still carried her half conscious little sister Ruby Rose.

"What's up?"

"Can you take Ruby to the medical office for now? We kinda need to be elsewhere right now. Don't worry, we'll come back down to help take care of her if she hasn't been helped by the time we get back."

"Alright, cool. Thanks again by the way. My sister would be a little more worse for wear if you didn't help her out."

"Anytime. We'll catch you later."

As the rest entered inside, Inuba and I stayed outside a bit longer as we both overlooked the message one last time. After we did, I just gave a simple shrug and headed inside with my partner.

* * *

Where was this elevator taking us up to? I mean really, it feels like it's been forever since we've been in here…

For the past few seconds, Inuba and I remained silent, each of us fidgeting about awkwardly in our own way. Inuba constantly stood up and down on her toes while I just leaned back on the wall and tapped my foot.

"So…" I said catching Inuba's attention, "Anything new with you? I mean, we've got like, what, two class where we aren't together?"

"That does seem to be the case, yes…"

"So...new? Yes? No? Maybe?"

"Oh, well, nothing really to be fairly honest. I mean, it is our first week of school really. And if I recall correctly, you once told me nothing ever really happens within the first week."

"I remember that I did tell you that actually." I said smiling, "Still, good thing you actually didn't go to high school or anything like that and let me quote on quote homeschool you."

She giggled at my statement before asking me "And why is that exactly?"

"Ah, high school was all just a bunch of drama, hormones, and whatever nonsense that could happen at a moment's notice. Totally worse than hell."

"Worse than hell?"

"Literally worse. As we even went there once with that whole nonsense ages ago we had to go through."

"And, what else?"

"What else what?" I asked chuckling.

"Why else would I have not enjoyed high school?"

"Probably a lot of guys checking you out. Constantly."

She laughed at that, almost as if she didn't believe it.

"Really now?"

"Really, no joke. Wouldn't it get annoying if you were constantly being stared at?"

"It would…" she said looking off to the side.

"See? Told you."

"Would it...bother you if others stared at me..?"

"It would… I mean, like…" I looked up at the ceiling to recall some stats I took of my own once as part of an actual Stats project, "About eighty percent of guys that would stare at you are thinking about pretty much one thing."

"And that would be?"

"How to get into your pants. Well, skirt I guess since you pretty much only wear skirts."

"And the other twenty percent?" She asked me as she looked back to me with an amused smile.

"Well, here's where it gets interesting. The rest of the fifteen percent might actually have some thoughts about some form of relationship, while also trying to get in your skirt."

She laughed at that before asking "And the final five percent?"

"Well...they'd at least try to form some meaningful, pure relationship. You know, spend time with you as much possible, laugh together, cry together after watching an emotional movie. That kind of thing. Stuff couples do."

"Stuff couples do?" She questioned me.

"Yeah. Although, I wouldn't really know myself to be honest. I just know what I know based off of what I read and what our old friends told me."

"You've never been in a relationship with someone before?" She asked almost shocked.

"Not once."

"I find that somewhat hard to believe, Master."

"Oh yeah, why's that?" I asked crossing my arms, eyes focused on my partner for her explanation.

"W-Well… You are rather handsome. And really friendly. And easy to approach. And helpful. And…"

"And..?" I asked, curious to see if she had anything else to add.

"A-A-And a lot of other things really!" she said fidgeting with her fingers, her eyes darting back and forth between me and the wall next to her.

"Alright. All good things, I guess." I said curling my lips into a smile.

She took note and pressed me further, saying "D-Did that boost your confidence somehow?"

"A little bit."

"A little bit?!" She asked almost shocked.

"What? You expect me to walk out of here now chasing down girls like a lecher?"

"I-I'd prefer if you didn't do that!" She responded rather quickly giving me a huff.

"No need to fear then. I'm not like that at all."

"I know…"

"Friendly reminder just in case?" I asked.

"More or less."

I just gave her a simple nod before asking, "So, no troubles at all then?"

"No, none at all."

That smile of hers… It gets me all the time.

We felt the elevator slow to a stop, allowing the doors to open to Ozpin's...peculiar, but grand office. Large, clockwork mechanisms layered the workings of the office, each of them silently spinning and grinding against each other behind the clear light green glass that contained the gears and cogs in both the ceiling and floor. Even his desk was entirely glass paned with some brass lining the glass and moving gears and cogs inside the glass.

Never have I actually seen workings like this really. I mean, I've imagined it at best, but that's about it.

"Good evening mr. Dante, ms. Kitsukami. I'm assuming all is well with you?"

"Pretty much. No injuries or anything if that was what you were asking."

"Those blows you took seemed fairly serious…"

"Like I said, nothing to worry about. Besides, I have my trusty partner to take care of me, right?" I asked nudging her slightly as she jumped a bit.

"Y-Yes…"

"Very well then…" he said with a smile, "In any sense, congratulations on defeating the Drakian Hydra. An impressive display might I add."

"Like I told everyone else, couldn't have done it without them really. They made the process much much simpler in the long run. So really, I owe it to them."

"I see. Where were your siblings might I add? I didn't see them taking part."

I chuckled slightly and shrugged my shoulders slightly.

"To be honest, my siblings can be very competitive with each other over the smallest things really. So instead of coming out to help, they're competing with each other over grades right now."

"Very admirable that they're taking their studies seriously. Although I am slightly disappointed I wasn't able to see them in action, I still was able to see most of your abilities and how the two of you cooperated with each other and the other students. Very fluidly might I add."

"When you have an idea of what people can do, coming up with a way to cooperate can be a lot easier. Still a bit stressful since you need to come up with a way to use each other's abilities effectively."

Ozpin gave me a rather impressed nod.

But I wasn't here for accolades or words of merit or my bravery or whatever. In short, I wasn't here to kiss ass. Being polite however is another story. Still, I did have a question I wanted to ask.

"Was a new member of ELA being tested tonight?"

"And how came you by this information?"

"Heard a thing or two. But mainly because I can recognize Ezdeil's handiwork a lot more clearly now. If anything, I think he's the only other person who could put a hole in it that easily. So then, new member?"

"A relative of ms. Anoel who possess a unique skill set, like the majority of other students. She performed admirably against the Hydra."

"But they weren't able to kill it. I think a slight overestimation was made there."

One lone student to kill a thing of that size and power? Five people could kill that thing by themselves. Me, Inuba, Ciel, Leo, and Ezdeil. I'm not saying the person being tested is weak or anything. They have to be strong if they were put up against that thing. But there's a limit to how far strength can get you.

"Perhaps… Well then mr. Dante, ms. Kitsukami, excellent work together out on the field tonight. However, I would have you remember two things."

Uh-oh. Trouble?

"Those two thing being?" I asked.

"First being that form of yours."

Shit.

"If possible, I would like you to refrain from using that form unless there is an emergency like the one tonight. The amount of power you utilize is rather...devastating given the rather large chasm now outside in the Emerald Forest."

Oh. Well… Alright, that's pretty reasonable. I honestly thought that was going to go a lot worse. Then again...maybe Inuba's mother gave Ozpin a lot of details. Some probably not necessary. Either way, if she did, then she helped make things easier. So thank you, Kareina.

"I understand. And the second?"

"I would prefer that you and mr. Ezdeil keep further altercations off campus. I'd prefer to keep my school intact."

"Uh, right, sure, you got it. Heh. Alright… Um, thank you, we'll be going now."

"Enjoy some rest mr. Dante. After today, I believe you and the other students deserve a break. Classes will resumed in two weeks. Rest well."

Two weeks?

"Um, thank you very much Headmaster. Have a good night." I replied with a wave.

He waved back at us, but I just remained silent the rest of the walk back to the elevator bay.

Okay, so not in trouble or anything for using Shadow Skin. Good. Still, now I have a slight restriction to it. Like I said, understandable given how my power gets insanely boosted when I use it. Well, he didn't say anything about not being able to use Devouring Light… So I guess I'm good there.

Wait, why do I feel like I'm about to get into trouble?

"Master…" I heard Inuba call out in an eerie, sing song voice, feeling her fingers pinch my cheek very harshly.

"Y-Yes..?" I managed to squeak out.

"You said it was simple horseplay earlier… Yet the headmaster calls it an altercation…"

"Um… You see…"

I'm screwed.

"What happened to being on your best behavior?" She asked me, her currently narrow and stern gaze growing more eerie by the second.

The last time I saw an expression like that was from Kareina when I was younger. It'd be best if I not describe the situation. And the fate of those that brought on the stare her daughter apparently inherited.

Lesson to be learned here? Three of them really. One, don't be a child and get into a fight. Two, you can't lie to or trick a kitsune. Three...there's no escaping punishment from a kitsune.

My cheeks are going to be swollen.

* * *

 **(Inuba pov)**

The morning for Master and I was fairly early given the work we had to do, even with the two week break we were given. Speaking of which, when we finished speaking with Headmaster Ozpin, Master and I went down to the Medical Wing to see how the other students were faring. Mainly we went in order to keep our promise to ms. Rose and attend to her. Master kept her in place while I set her wrist back in place, although instead of going on three like he suggested, when he said one, I set her wrist back in place, used my flames to heal her other injuries and went about my way.

In the case of Master's siblings, Ciel and Leo finally had more than enough time to get ahead with their schoolwork, the two of them headed off to the library for whatever needs they had concerning their homework.

As for Master and I, we spent the whole morning baking. Part of Matser's punishment for lying to me about the quote on quote fight, which he described to me as not really a fight, and for provoking mr. Ezdeil, was that he was to help me with anything I needed, especially the tedious bits.

It would be punishment enough along with the pinches to his cheeks I administered the night before and this morning.

Baking wasn't simply as part of the punishment. We spent the morning baking all sorts of treats so we could "properly" introduce ourselves to our neighbors, ELAA. Since we've never had the chance to meet with them, except for my Master's brilliant encounter with their leader Niro Ezdeil, we didn't know what they would like. So we went with an all around approach and made as much as we could fit into a large basket.

Master and I haven't spoken much at all this morning, save for the occasional order I gave him when we were baking earlier. I am still fairly upset with him. Even so...ignoring him was a bit difficult for me. Still, he deserves it for being a troublemaker.

"I said I was sorry already. So can we end the silent treatment?"

I smiled to myself because of how well this working. Very well. I suppose he's earned respite for his hard work and good behavior.

I took a deep breath, then said "Very well. Your punishment is over."

He let out a sigh of relief as he carried the basket before jogging up to my side.

"I still can't believe you instigated that fight between you two."

"I, well, I didn't instigate it so to speak until the very last second."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"See, we got out into the hall and saw each other. I thought I could introduce myself to him, have a few words over tea and see where we go from there."

"And then?"

"Technically, he started it by throwing the first punch. But for a while then I could tell he was really thinking about it beforehand, hence why I said I didn't sort of instigate it until the end since I was feeling really cheeky after noticing he wanted to hit me."

"So..?"

"Both of our faults really, but mostly him."

"Master…"

I didn't know if this was an attempt to shift blame or-

"Honest! That's how it went. He's a volatile one, so be careful around him if you see him."

"I hardly think he's that violent."

"You'd be surprised."

We found ourselves closing in on ELAA's door, and I stopped just short of it for a moment, turning towards Master as he handed me the basket.

"Be on your best behavior." I said poking him in the side.

"Yeah, yeah…"

I was about to poke him again to remind him he need only confirm once, but he's had enough punishment today as is.

With a small huff, I raised up my hand and quickly knocked on the door five times before taking a step back and waiting. Master and I only exchanged brief awkward glances with one another as we stood together, waiting for the door to open.

And out of it stepped a girl around our age, wearing a matte black leather cowboy hat, an open brown leather jacket, unclapsed and revealing a white shirt beneath it, a pair of dark gray jeans and black combat boots to finish up her attire. As for appearance wise, she had beautiful pale skin, almost like mine, long, black hair that flowed down to the center of her lower back, and even blue eyes. They weren't a bright sky blue like my Master, or his siblings, but it was close enough.

"Oh? Now this is quite the surprise." She said, "After what happened in the hallway, I'm a little confused why you're still keen to say hi, especially with what happened to your leader."

She seems polite...

"O-Oh… Such a thing shouldn't be thought of too much. I admit, I was a bit surprised...and, well, irritated that someone had attacked him… But it was minor at best. So there's no cause for concern. All is well."

"I'm sure Niro had his reasons, he's usually quite calm." The girl replied with a smile, stepping aside and gesturing into the room, "I guess it's fairly obvious, but would you two like to come inside?"

"Oh, yes. After all, the purpose of this visit is to introduce ourselves to you all." I said giving her a quick bow before entering inside.

"And say hello and such." Master added as he followed in after me.

Immediately upon entering, I took note of the other two members of ELAA both females. One looked similar to Anoel, and the other was...a kitsune? Where there kitsune here on Remnant that we were unaware of?

The first one resembling Anoel was almost the same I features; long fluttering black hair that nearly reached her waist, pale skin, and lithe figure compared to her more...developed relative, assuming that they were related. But given the similarities, it was likely the case. The only big difference between the two, besides their figures, was their eye color strangely enough. This ones eye color was orange.

Her choice of apparel was fairly simply. A loose dark green light sweater, sleek black sweatpants and a pair of running sneakers. Casual more than simple really.

The other one, the kitsune, was a very cute look creature. Smaller than the rest of us, at least 5'2 by my estimations, she was lithe and petite with a pale skin tone and frost white hair that reached the center of her back. Her golden-orange eyes stared directly at me with some form of confusion, or rather, curiosity. Like me, she too had fox ears atop her head.

I silently activated my Aura Sense to see exactly what kind of kitsune she was. It looked as though she had one tail, but her Aura showed me she had three tails, where she bundled them together into one, fluffy tail. I myself had nine tails, but using my magic, I made it so that only one was manifested instead.

The young kitsune's attire consisted of a thin light blue sweater, the looseness leaving a wide opening at its neck to reveal her pale shoulders, also showing the thin straps of her white tank top. She also wore a white scarf and black leggings. I was assuming she too wore combat boots.

All of them seemed...unique.

"I'll be the first to say it." said the girl that opened the doors for us, slipping around us as she made her way over to the desk between the sets of beds, leaning against it, "I'm sorry for what Niro did. It was…admittedly out of character for him, but I can see a few reasons why he'd go so far to test you."

Test she says… I think I'm starting to side more with Master on this. If that was a test, then surely she doesn't mind if I "test" mr. Ezdeil to see how resistant to my flames he is.

No no, calm down. We're here to make friends.

"It's no problem really." Master replied with a smile, waving his hand a bit, "It wasn't such a big deal. Although, I still don't know what I did to upset him. I didn't even say much and was trying to be nice and all."

True yet not entirely true at the same time. He did legitimately attempt to speak with mr. Ezdeil properly, only it escalated from that point.

"I don't think it had anything to do with what you said, to be honest..." Anoel replied, "If I were to guess, it was probably something that wasn't as shallow as that minor interaction. I've known Niro for the better part of both our lives, I know his tendencies as much as he does."

"Oh… Well, maybe you could tell me what then so it doesn't happen again? Maybe?"

That would be preferable in the case of avoiding any future altercations.

Anoel shrugged her shoulders, "I can't say for sure, not unless you want to ask him yourself."

"I have a feeling he'd try again if I did… But anyway, no need to apologize. Bygones be bygones and all."

"I'd still be cautious, especially since you basically stood up to his challenge, which only made matters worse." Anoel responded, taking a glance to Kitsuki and Arex on their connected beds, "Oh, and before we get too far with anything, I'm Anoel. This is Arex, my sister, and Kitsuki. Arex, Kitsuki, meet Inuba Kitsukami and Dante."

Arex seemed almost...intimidated when she heard our names. Did we have some reputation we did not know of? Or maybe it's the fact Master has no last name? That's always been a cause of concern for most. Maybe it was that instead.

"Good morning everyone." I said focusing my attention to the two, giving them a polite bow.

"Hello." Master greeted as well.

He then suddenly let out a dramatic gasp as his eyes fell to KitsukI, the smaller kitsune, next to Arex. The small girl flinched slightly, tails immediately swirling around her waist as she stared in confusion.

Maybe I should do something more cute and innocent like this now and then to draw his attention...

"It's…nice to meet you." Arex replied, glancing between Dante and Kitsuki for a few moments as she noticed her partner begin to shrink away from the attention.

"Ah, sorry..." he began as he cleared his throat and stood up straight, "You don't see many Kitsune around. Especially one as adorable as her."

It's true. Whether or not there are other kitsune on Remnant has been a complete mystery to us. Although now, clearly there are. Just how many was the next question to solve.

I saw Kitsuki's cheeks flush red now, her face disappearing behind white fur of her fluffy tails.

Is my tail as fluffy? Is has to be...right?

I had to quickly rub my own fox tail to ensure it's fluffiness as well.

"I completely agree, though, this one's rather shy." Anoel stepped in, drawing Arex's gaze back to her sister as the older girl gave a small, dismissive wave, "I could say the same thing about your own partner, but since we both have a kitsune, I feel it's rather unnecessary to state the obvious."

That's right! I too am adorable in my own way! Although…I wish you'd notice more, Master...

"True enough…" Master said, making my fox ears fold against my head in some form of disappointment "but sorry. I'm a little bit biased towards my partner." He finished speaking to Kitsuki in an apologetic manner.

Hope was rekindled, my ears perking up again with satisfaction. With the way my fox tail flicked back and forth now, it hopefully wasn't too obvious with how pleased I was with his answer.

"As am I for mine." Arex responded in place of Kitsuki, giving the girl's head a soft pat, "You don't need to apologize for something like that."

The pat caused Kitsuki's ears to bounce for a moment, along with a momentary, hidden, lull of her tongue.

I have to convince Master to give me more head pats as well...

"And here I thought only Niro and Dante would be at odds with each other." Anoel sighed, brushing the tip of her hat with her fingers before glancing back to me, "I know that smell isn't your perfume, so what'd you bring with you?"

"We bring gifts to satisfy your possibly hungry stomachs! Inuba made them this time since she's better at cooking than I am. I was just the underling for the precoces.

"C-Come now… It's nothing all too special…" I muttered, my tail noticeably speeding up

"Baked goods?" Arex asked, taking her hand from a quickly disheartened Kitsuki's head as she turned her attention back to myself and Master, "How good are they?"

"They...are the very best in the entire world!" Master dramatically pointed to the ceiling.

Now and then his antics were humorous, for me at least.

"Well, I'm always interested in trying good food," Arex replied, "As for my partner…"

Arex leaned forward and glanced behind the fur of Kitsuki's tails, catching a tiny nod from her partner behind them a moment later.

"She's interested too."

I looked off to my side slightly and saw Master look to Kitsuki for a moment, his sclera changing to black and his bright sky blue irises a glowing white for but a second or two before they transitioned back to his normal eyes. He then touched his own throat and grimaced slightly, his glance turning sorrowful for a moment.

When his eyes transition for but a moment or two, it usually means one of two things. One, his power is resonating with someone else's power of a similar Dark nature. Two, he sensed something strange.

Kitsuki clearly was not of a Dark nature. But what did he feel from young Kitsuki?

Anoel and Arex noticed his movement as I did, but it seemed clear that the two of them knew what it was Master was sensing. Kitsuki was still hidden behind her tails, so she had no idea.

Her shyness was a devastating weapon of cuteness.

"Um…" Master started, trying to get Kitsuki's attention.

The girl in question slowly lowered the tips of her fox tails, glancing over the expanse of fur in her grasp toward the source of the voice directed toward her.

He then signed out with his hands, "Do you like baked goods?"

Kitsuki was startled slightly, Arex and Anoel given surprised glances towards Master as his hands flashed through the symbols with fluid ease.

One of our friends who was a mage had her voice stolen from her since she was young. The cause was a rivaling family of witches that tore down the foundations of our friends family, leaving her as the only survivor. When it became clear the same coven of witches was after her, we managed to band together and defeat the witches, and in turn were able to restore her voice.

Until we did however, she was mute for the majority of her life and learned sign language to speak with others. Being a Mage, she was also a Seer and could perceive Master's power, which is what drew them together in the first place. After their first conversation together with texting, Master spent a good two days to learn sign language and different expressions available.

I too had an interest in it, which I why I could understand the conversation between Kitsuki and Master.

"It usually depends on what it is."

"Well, what's your favorite then? We baked a lot of different things, so we might have it."

Kitsuki was still taken aback, but she continued anyway, "I'm afraid that's impossible. Someone used to make it for me... It was a family recipe."

"Well, if you remember what was in it, much less remember the taste and such, we could try to make it for you someday if you'd like." he offered kindly.

"That's kind of you, but..." she wanted to leave it as just that, "I'd be fine with something else." Kitsuki continued.

Again Master flashed a quick sorrowful glance, but immediately smiled after.

"That's alright then. We hope you like the goods we made instead."

I brought up the basket we filled with baked goods and opened the lid, allowing the sweet mixture of different aromas fill the air.

I had noticed this earlier, but I think ms. Arex has been staring at me considerably for some time now. Maybe she's being wary of me? We may be well acquainted with one another now, but it would be obvious still of why they'd be wary of us.

Cakes, biscuits, donuts, we had a,large variety of pastries for their consumption.

"I have to ask, what kind of icing did you use for your carrot cake?" Arex asked, spotting one of several cakes in the mix.

"Cream cheese" I responded, picking out the cake in question and handing it to her.

"Good." Arex hummed, giving a small nod, "That's always the best choice anyway. In my opinion."

Your opinion is both agreed with and correct. I've taken a liking to cream cheese ever since I started living with Master in our old home.

Ms. Anoel leaned over for a moment, searching through the variety of goods before spotting something she found herself suddenly craving, reached in, and pulled out a small peanut butter trifle parfait cup, paired with its own plastic spoon and wrapping.

It seemed I was also right to add that to our selection.

"You know, you didn't have to go through all this effort just to introduce yourselves." she pointed out, carefully unwrapping her serving and poking around with her spoon.

With how she poked about it with her spoon, it was almost as if she were checking it for anything.

Did they think we were up to nothing good?

"We just kinda wanted to make a good first impression is all. That, and...well...hopefully you wouldn't get the wrong idea of us by some chance. But also as a sort of apology just in case. Speaking of which… He isn't here… Of course…" Master responded, speaking of mr. Ezdeil.

"I think it's probably better that way, for the time being." Arex commented before taking another bit of her carrot cake.

I then brought the basket closer to Kitsuki and set it down in front of the girl, letting her decide on what she'd choose to pull out. And after a few moments, Kitsuki finally set her tails aside and glanced into the basket, sifting through it with her own eyes before finding something she liked. She withdrew a small cheesecake, plain, but with a topping of whipped cream.

"And for you?" I asked turning to Master.

"Hmmm…" he hummed as he looked inside, "Aha! There you are!"

He reached in and grabbed a rectangular maple flavored doughnut, going at it just as quickly as he grabbed it.

I smiled and shook my head slightly as I thought to myself that he only made the maple doughnuts for himself.

"He must really like your baking..." Arex said in a whisper leaning over to me, the two of us watching the doughnut disappear from Master's hand.

"To be honest, he only ever eats when I make something. Other than that, he really doesn't eat all that much. He told my cooking and baking was just absolutely heaven-like and…" I paused for a moment, trying to still understand the meaning behind her my next words, "he says everything else doesn't taste all too well for him. As if it's bland...or rather...it didn't even have a taste…"

It's why he only ate whenever I made lunch for school or dinner at home.

"To each their own, I guess. I'd bake something to challenge that theory, but with a bar already set so high, I don't think it'd matter."

"Nonsense. I assume you are as skilled or better."

"An assumption like that is difficult if you don't know where my baking skills lie." Arex replied, "Or if I have any to begin with."

You already proved your skill with the question you asked earlier. I'm more than certain you have equally superior skills.

"She's being modest." Anoel interjected, catching a small glare from her little sister in return, "Arex owns the best bakery in town. Just ask the locals."

"We'll have to visit sometime then, yes?" I asked, looking to Master as he stopped about midway of eating another doughnut.

"Right, of course," he said nodding before devouring another maple doughnut.

"It's closed right now, considering I'm the one who runs it." Arex informed, "Besides, I didn't want to talk it up in the first place…"

"It's the life essence to most of the locals." Anoel commented again, already halfway through the cup of delectable trifle in her hands, "They were pretty disheartened when they heard it'd be closed for a while. Most of them even complained there wasn't any other place they could go with the same quality, let alone the pricing along with it."

Anoel happily smiled, taking another bite of her treat as Arex stared at her, glare slowly forming behind her disbelief.

"Really now? Well, if they think that, then we definitely have to go over once you open it back up. Call us over when you do." said Master.

"I…might..." Arex replied with mild consideration.

"If you don't mind us inquiring, from which parts do all of you hail from?" I asked, finding a blueberry muffin for myself to partake of.

"Arex and I are from just outside of Vale, Kitsuki from Mistral."

Interesting… She deliberately left out mr. Ezdeil… I wonder why..?

"Judging by your last name, I'd assume you're all part of the Kitsukami Estate in the north-eastern mountain range nearby."

W-What?! How does she-?!

"Oh?" started Master quizzically, "So you know a bit about us then?"

Know about us a bit is an understatement! Where did she learn of this? The only people who know of us are the people in the village below the mountain and headmaster Ozpin. So how does she know of us?

"More or less." ms. Anoel replied cheekily, enjoying her treats.

"Still though...how much do you know?" Master asked with a coy smile.

"That depends." ms. Anoel took another small spoonful up and ate it, "How long do you plan to stay here?"

"Well… For a long, long time…" replied Master, resting his chin in his hand.

"I was referring to this room, not your banishment." ms. Anoel replied with a grin,

I almost jumped out of my seat were it not for Master placing his hand over mine to keep me in place. He dropped his usual smile, only leveling a glare at ms. Anoel.

"Now how would you know about that?" His tone losing its carefreeness, bordering on a new level of seriousness he rarely ever turned to.

It was then I could see for myself why he kept me in my seat. Unseen to the other three, dozens of invisible Aura Swords were now focused upon ms. Anoel from all directions and in numerous different angles, each of the Swords points just mere inches away from her.

Master…

"Because there isn't a soul on this planet that can withstand a single punch from my partner." ms. Anoel replied evenly, stirring the remains of her dessert around, "You may not know this, but you stick out like a blot of black on a white canvas. And if anyone had any Aura Sense to them, they'd easily pick you out of a crowd for how unique it seems to be."

Unique was but one of many words to describe Master's Aura...

Ms. Anoel finished off her treat, setting the empty cup aside as she crossed one ankle over the other.

"It also helps that you're not human."

I wanted to stand up myself and question her, but all I managed was a worried glance at Master for a moment. He only kept his eyes trained on Anoel, studying her carefully and calmly before making a decision on whether or not to clench his fist.

If that happened...

"If you're worried about anyone finding out about this, you need to only look as far as Niro to get your answer." ms. Anoel continued, crossing her arms beneath her chest as she lowered her hat at us, "He couldn't care less about the matter, and neither do I."

Master continued staring for a few more seconds before he closed his eyes, chuckling to himself before opening them again. Then, the Aura Swords surrounding ms. Anoel all vanished within a second.

"How interesting… You could tell as many people as you'd want, it wouldn't make a difference to me at all. The only reason we were concerned was because of our previous 'affiliations'. As for your partner...well… I'll admit he managed to give me quite the tickle…"

If anyone from Primordial had followed us here, then our chances for a new life may be ruined.

I would never allow that to happen. No matter the person.

"If it hurt you, he'd probably be disappointed, considering he held back quite a bit." ms. Anoel stated quite dismissively.

"Why do you think I said tickled? He didn't really do all that much with his punch."

"It doesn't matter much, he usually just does what he wants anyway." She replied, looking up for a moment with a tilted gaze, "In any case, I suppose some of your other secrets are more sensitive than that one, really."

"Not really. I'd tell you if you ask, considering I'm not bound by any restrictions anymore."

"Like I said before, I couldn't care less about it." She restated, bringing her gaze back down to Master's own, "Though, your willingness to prove its pointlessness is admirable."

"Well, I wouldn't say pointless. Like I said, not bound by any rules anymore. Well, except for the rules here at Beacon that is."

"You've already broken one of them by fighting in the hallway." ms. Anoel pointed out, another cheshire grin flashing across her lips.

"Fighting you say? I wasn't aware that we were fighting... Horsing around would be the more accurate term if anything."

He's still going with that term?

"I don't think horsing around sends what's widely recognized as a gunshot down the hallway of this dormitory." ms. Anoel replied, but she soon tilted her head and dismissed that thought, "But that's what the general public thinks. I'm not talking in regards to what you or I think. There's a reason why there's a term for public opinion or a general audience. They don't know the specifics."

"True enough I suppose. So then...if I'm not human...what exactly might I be?" he asked with interest.

"It takes more than just looking at you to figure that one out." ms. Anoel stated, turning her gaze away now as she glanced to Kitsuki and Arex on the bed, who had long since finished with their own desserts by now.

"It's something I'll need to do a little digging for, if it's an answer you actually seek." she finished.

Dante chuckled once more before he broke out laughing for a short bit.

"I like her." he said to me.

W-W-W-Wait! What?! Master..!

"If you do find out, please, do tell me."

He can't mean..! In that way?! Right?!

"That depends how much you're willing to pay me for information that valuable."

"Oh?" Master smiled, "What's your price then?"

"Depends on the information, but it can either be money…or something else." Anoel explained, giving Master a final cheeky smile, "sometimes favors, sometimes other services."

"Hmm… Favors or services you say… Such as?" he asked with an equally cheeky smile.

"It's determined upon the transaction of the information, so I can't say." she replied teasingly.

"But it can be anything, right?"

"Only if I think it's worth the effort of obtaining the information."

"Well, if you do find out, I will promise to make it worth your while."

Anoel nodded, tilting her head again as she hummed, "You can try. Very few men can satisfy me."

S-Satisfy?!

"Lucky for you...I'm not like other men."

"I'll be the judge of that." Anoel smiled.

N-No! Don't let her be the judge of that! Don't let her be a judge period! She can't do that! Anything but that! Find someone else! He's! He's..!

I felt someone pinching the tips of my fox ears, playfully spreading them apart back and forth as apparently Master tried for my attention, "Hello in there! Wakey wakey!"

And just like that, I was broken out of my heated stupor and wild imagination, my eyes refocusing on Master's own irises, my cheeks flushed to the red. A silent squeal almost escaped my lips had I not stifled it last minute.

His touch has always felt electric like; tingly and gentle… I wonder if he'd rub my tail next…

No! If he did that here, I don't know if I'd be able to control myself any longer!

"You alright there?" Master asked, as he let go of the tips of my fox ears.

Before I could answer, both my attention and Master's, along with ms. Anoel, turned to the door, the presence of two others lingering behind it.

Hold on a moment, is that-?

"I don't suppose those two are here for the two of you?" Anoel asked, leaning away from her desk and glancing past us.

"Guess so…"

"Alright! Come out with your hands up, and we might not just try to tickle you to death!" said the voice of an eager girl behind the door.

"You didn't even read me my rights. And assaulting me by tickling? You'd make a terrible officer Ciel." Master replied.

There was a silence behind the door for a few moments.

"No! You would!" responded Ciel.

"Yeah yeah…"

"She sounds adorable." ms. Anoel noted, before gesturing toward the door, "Looks like you need to go though."

"Apparently. Well, thanks for having us then. Let's do this again sometime. It was fun."

"Maybe, it'd depend on Niro being here or not." she pointed out, "He's the only factor at the moment. I'd rather not have you and him in the same room."

"Not yet anyway… Well, goodbye for now. We hope to work well with you all and such in the future." Master said, extending a hand to Anoel.

"Keep bringing treats, and we'll see about that." Said ms. Anoel as she took Master's hand with her own.

For a brief moment, I felt some sort of strange outward connection from ms. Anoel as she grasped his hand.

I see now, that's how she knew so much about Master without directly meeting with him at first.

"Oh~ So that's how…" he replied.

"It's a little more advanced than that honey, but you're close." Anoel smiled, before letting his hand go and nodding to the door.

She read him… She's a Sensory type. Not exactly similar to a Seer, but close enough in some aspects.

"I know it's not through direct contact or anything, but I know enough now to the point I've got it nearly figured out entirely. You're not the only person who can read people extensively you know…" stated Master.

"I never said I was." ms. Anoel replied quietly.

Master then opened the door and moved out of the way, allowing Ciel to nearly fall in and stopping just short of the ground as her older brother caught her by the waist. The girl had a little cat-like grin, contentedly dangling in her brother's grasp as he walked out of the room, her small feet dangling limply off the ground as I followed behind him.

"One last thing..." he paused, glancing back into the room, "I was serious about before you know. Before I came here, I was told I would eventually find out more about myself that I haven't been able to figure out yet. If you do find anything...anything at all...I will promise to make it worth your while."

"You can try." said ms. Anoel waving at us goodbye.

Before I myself could fully leave the room, she pulled me aside slightly while Master, Ciel and Leo were distracted with one another.

"Oh, and Inuba honey…" she whispered to me, "I have some extra panties if you need any. But, I'm sure you can find a dry pair quickly enough considering your dorm's right there."

I went completely rigid as I could feel the intense heat building up in my face, trying to say something in response to her statement. But no words came out, only incoherent babbling from my part and some embarrassed shivering was all I could offer her in response.

She let out a more teasing smile for me before closing the door shut, Master's attention focused on me.

"What'd she say at the end there?" He asked me.

"N-Nothing worth mentioning!" I squeaked out as I quickly moved my legs towards our door.

That woman… She's a complete menace… I can't let her near Master.

Especially not alone!

* * *

 **Right, nothing to say here at the end except scheduling should be back to normal.**

 **So with that, I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Of Diagnostics and Tinmen**

«»

 **(Leonard POV)**

"That went rather well." stated ms. Kitsukami as she, my brother and sister and I walked back into our room.

It only went well because because Ezdouche, as Ciel secretly calls him, wasn't around. Otherwise he would have made another failed murder attempt. One of many I assume. Great.

Look forward to mass destruction Remnant.

"I guess." Said my brother taking a seat at one of the desks in our room, "Kinda creepy that Anoel was able to read me though..."

"Did she read your mind or something?" Asked Ciel.

"No, I wouldn't say mind reading exactly. At least, it's hardly anything that simplistic. I don't entirely understand it yet, but if I have enough time…"

Brother would eventually figure out her ability. At that point…

"She did figure us out though. That we came from elsewhere."

"She knows that much?!" I asked.

I was almost shocked. Looks like Anoel might be more formidable than I gave her credit for.

"Not to worry. She said she would say nothing about the matter to anyone else. In a sense, our technical secret is safe with her." Said Ms. Kitsukami as she took a seat on the bed.

Always the optimist…

"So no trouble. Cool. Oh yeah, forgot to mention, we actually had a talk with Ezdeil last night while you guys took on the Hydra." Said Ciel.

Oh yeah. We did do that. Answered a few of his questions and he answered only one. There's a reason Ciel came up with "Ezdouche". Kinda fits well.

"And how'd that go?" Asked my brother.

"Well, he didn't attempt to annihilate us, so I'm assuming it went very well." I replied.

"I guess... So wait, weren't you guys doing homework? How'd you get to chatting up Niro?"

"Eh, we agreed to a break for the next two days. Besides, we're ahead like three weeks worth of written assignments. So we can afford a break."

Ciel has been surprisingly tenacious with keeping up with me in homework. It's almost impressive really. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Ciel's dumb. Not in the slightest. Years before we met brother, whenever we did homework, I was always the one with the best scores and did more than the others students? Ciel? She couldn't care less really. B average generally. C average whenever it was a bad day.

Now? Straight A's. And that's because she's actually trying.

"Cool I guess?" Answered our brother while checking his HoloScroll.

"Better keep up with the studies big brother, otherwise you'll be waaaaaay behind the two of us." Boasted Ciel.

"Unlike you two, I do my homework at my own pace. You guys want to keep going at it, fine by me. I'll just watch and be entertained."

Great… Our older brother's being entertained by our competition…

"You said we had two weeks to ourselves?" I asked brother.

"Yeah… Turns out someone made a typo in the mail they sent us. It's actually one week instead of two."

"Still, pretty sweet deal for just taking out an overgrown snake. I dig it." said CIel giving us a double thumbs up.

I do too. I guess. I mean, a week off? Nice and all, but what am I going to do for a week besides homework? Who does homework straight for a week? No one.

Ugh… So lame…

The others were busy having a conversation that I tuned out when I got notified of a message to my HoloScroll. I spun around and brought my hands together before spreading them out a short distance, my holographic display opening up.

One new message? From who?

…

What the-?! Bailey?! What does she want with me?!

I quickly opened the message after seeing the sender name and let my eyes scroll through the text.

"Simply Leonard,"

When will she drop that?

"I need your assistance. My teammates are not present at the moment, making the timing perfect for your assistance in this urgent, secretive manner. Meet me at our room which is the last one near the end of the hall. Room 312. Bailey Lianna."

Urgent? Secretive? There's plenty secretive with that girl. I barely know a thing about her except her name and that she's pretty badass with a sword. Makes me wonder how long she'd last against brother…

Anyway, she's got something she needs help with. The fact she asked me for help is...well...nice. Better see what it is.

"Something's come to my attention. I'll be taking my leave. And Ciel, we'll resume tomorrow. But from then on, we will be taking longer breaks. Deal?"

"Yeah sure, go ahead. Later." Replied my sister as she had her eyes glued to an article she was reading.

"Where are you off to?" Asked my brother.

"A friend said they needed assistance with a matter, so I'm meeting them to see what I can do."

"You have friends?!" Asked Ciel in mock surprise.

"Ciel!" Said Ms. Kitsukami quickly.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

"Alright, have fun. Don't do anything too crazy."

Yeah, not possible really. I don't have your problem of getting into trouble a lot brother.

I gave my brother, sister, and Ms. Kitsukami a silent wave while I closed my HoloScroll and stepped outside our dorm.

Let's see… Last door at the end of the hall, room 312… Here it is.

I knocked on the door quickly and waited. And waited.

She said she was in here right?

I turned around quickly only to hear the door unlock and find hands on my shoulders, pulling me inside the room.

"Were you followed?"

"W-What? No!" I told Bailey.

"Good."

She turned me around to face her at last, and like usual, she had that stoic expression about her. Also…does she not west anything else but her outfit? Better yet, does she even take off that tactical blindfold? So many questions…

"You seem perplexed." She said.

"Well, I was suddenly pulled into your room without warning. And...it is surprising to see that you are still wearing your Tactical Blindfold. Don't you ever remove it?"

"I was given strict orders never to remove it unless bathing."

"Do you also wear only that outfit?"

My curiosity was...intense at the moment.

"Not this outfit specifically. I have multiple outfits exactly the same as this one."

"Nothing else?"

"No."

Well that was simple.

"Don't you ever go shopping?" I asked.

"Shopping?"

Is this girl serious? She doesn't even go shopping?

"You can't simply wear the same outfit all the time ms. Lianna. You should try something new now and then."

"Something new… I'll keep that in mind. Where would one go shopping?"

Good lord…

"Um...ask ms. Kitsukami and my sister Ciel to take you with them next time. I'm sure they'll more than likely help you."

"Very well then. I'll pay close attention for when they announce their next outing and ask to accompany them."

Bailey and her team's room wasn't all too much different from ours. They did bunk beds too. I saw four desks, each of them...unique to their respective owners. The one that had a shrine like appearance had to be Nori's. The one with different crystals and jars full of...whatever was in them, had to be Kaliel's. Musashi's was definitely the one with the dragon wood carvings, and Bailey's… Well, her desk was perfectly organized concerning her school utensils and different books and folders. Her desk was almost like mine.

Neat.

The shelves were also stocked with all sorts of different books and trinkets too.

"Now then, what exactly did you need my assistance with ms. Lianna?"

"Simply Leonard… You're able to keep a secret, correct?"

"Um…"

I could only look at her awkwardly as she delivered what I determined to be a focused glare, waiting to see what my answer was. Though, I got the strange feeling she was hoping I would say yes.

Well…saying yes will definitely let me get to know her better. I'd be able to keep her secret.

"Yes, of course I am."

"You can't tell a single soul. The words I am about to tell you are to remain within the boundaries of this room. Understand?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Good. Simply Leonard, we may have only known each other for the week that we have so far, but I've come to be able familiarize myself with you more than easily. And...I find myself able to confide in you more easily."

"What about your teammates ms. Lianna?"

Can't she talk to them about whatever it is? I mean, I have no problem with the situation, but...

"I would prefer not to reveal my nature to my teammates. Not now anyway." She said looking away from me.

Nature? Wait a second…

"Ms. Lianna…" I saw her head turn to focus on me once again, I myself readied to ask "Would you happen to be of a persuasion other than human?"

She hesitated to answer given how she shifted uncomfortably. She wouldn't saw what she did otherwise if she were a normal human. Usually when someone talks about their nature, they're talking about their mannerisms and behavior. But we've seen quite a few replays of our brother when "on the hunt". Ciel and I know to be cautious when we hear the phrase "my nature" or anything similar.

"Yes."

Her reply snapped me out of my train of thought. If she wasn't exactly human, then what is she? I would have felt abnormalities using my Aura Sensing, but from the start, I've never been able to read her. Her Aura Type is completely foreign to me.

"I promise not to speak to anyone of this conversation, not even with my brother, Ciel, or ms. Kitsukami. Your secret is completely safe with me."

"Very well then…"

All I saw for the moment was Bailey standing up again before I got a notification on my HoloScroll, prompting me to quickly turn around and open up the holographic display and turn down the volume of the ringer, hearing a soft thud behind me that sounded like cloth.

Wait, what? Cloth?

I slowly turned around and immediately froze in place like a statue, my eyes widened with surprise when I saw Bailey Lianna's appearance.

She...looked normal… Still wore her Blindfold… Still wore her white elbow gloves with black fingers and palms… Still wore her thighhighs... Only now...her dress was absent from her person…

Gone.

She at least wore something underneath, but even that wasn't helping the plethora of indecent thoughts racing through my mind at the moment.

What she wore was what one could call undergarments, but not exactly so. In fact, what she wore was something I never thought could be worn as underwear. It was...a white leotard. Not just any white leotard, no… It was a thin fabric, highleg, strapless leotard, similar in appearance of "bunny suits" with how little it covered her...ample chest.

The fabric of the leotard clung tightly to her body with skin tight-likeness, showing off her lightly toned body, slender waist and beautifully wide hips, not too wide, but just right. There were numerous decorative gaps between the area above her abdomen and beneath her bosom, all highlighted with grey edges as well.

Human or not...she was devestatingly beautiful…

All I could manage was silent staggering of breath rather than words as we both stared at one another, my eyes slowly moving from her feet where her dress lay, all the way back to where her eyes would be if she didn't wear that Blindfold of hers.

"You're nervous…"

Any man would be in this situation!

"Is me revealing my non-human nature to you intimidating?"

"N-No! Nothing like that! I-I-It's just..!"

"Just?"

"Um… Well...i-is it necessary to remove your dress..?" I asked, constantly trying to force my eyes to look away, only to have them snap back to Bailey's alluring person.

"Yes. Otherwise I cannot offer you proof."

If she says so…

Without saying another word, I saw her left hand move towards her right elbow glove and slowly pull it down. I was able to force my eyes to her pale, lithe arm, seeing some charred flesh, but...that wasn't what caught my attention…

It was what lay inside.

Numerous bits of circuitry and wires, artificial blood vessels that remained intact, and bone of sorts made of a metallic alloy.

"Uh… Ms. Lianna?"

"Bailey will just do."

"R-Right… I don't think simply having a fake arm counts you out of the human persuasion…"

It's perfectly fine, but I don't see why she had to remove her dress to-

"It's not only my arm… It's the rest of my body as well."

Rest of her body..?

Wait, if her arm is mechanical, and she just said it's the same for the rest of her body...does that mean..?

"Are you...an Android?"

"You catch on quickly Simply Leonard…"

If she's an Android, then…

"How is it that you produce Aura exactly if you are an Android, Bailey?"

Using her first name still is weird...but I'll have to get used to it.

"The soul inside this mechanical body of mine is...human-like. It was never explained to me to great extent, but it was fabricated to mimic a humans soul. Hence why I am able to use Aura based abilities and even posses my own Semblance."

Fabricated… An Artificial Being then… My brother told Ciel and I once that there are living beings whose bodies are fabricated as well as their souls. Though...how would a human be able to make an Artificial Being? It's out of their reach unless someone other than human knew how, sat them down, and showed them the process. But there are those like my brother's old friend Darwin, who were once human and had the matrices of their mind copied and transferred over to a mechanical body.

Right now, it's a case of either or. She doesn't know exactly how it was done, and I know of two possibilities of how it was done unless there's a newer method that the people of Remnant found, or developed.

"Simply Leonard?"

Her mother… Could she actually be her biological mother? Or maker?

"Simply Leonard."

"Hm? Yes?"

My eyes turned back to Bailey, but quickly darted off to the side again when I remembered what exactly she was wearing at the moment.

"There are others as capable that can assist in repairing me, but I don't have as much trust in them as I do in you."

"I see…"

My skills in the mechanical and technological field are only decent in comparison to brother. In all honesty, she probably should have asked him. But how does she know I possess such skills? Was it from one of the documents we submitted? Did she look at those?

"Um… So how may I assist you exactly..?" I meekly asked, trying to keep my eyes off her.

"When I was completed, my mother didn't have the time to install all the features I was originally designed to have due to the need of me being needed to come here to Beacon before the start of the Semester. One such feature was an Auto-Repair unit that would heal damaged sections of my body after a set period of five seconds without further damage." she said showing me her damaged arm, "There were many other features as well, but like the Auto-Repair unit, there was no time to install them."

"So then...how would one repair the damage done to you? Not just that, but where could we make artificial skin to graft back in to the rectified areas?"

"It's a simple task really with the help of another. Since my Aura is made for pure combat purposes, I don't posses the healing mechanism Aura offers to all others virtually, hence why an Auto-Repair unit was meant to be installed in me."

"If I'm to understand correctly, we'll be using my Aura to repair your damaged arm and even your artificial skin, yes?"

"Correct. The wiring and circuits interacts with Aura substantially well, and would be repaired exactly like a human body would when being healed by Aura. But again-"

"Your Aura doesn't heal you given it's strictly offensive nature. Hence why until you have your Auto-Repair unit arrive, you need rely on others to repair you using their Aura."

"Only you."

"Sorry?" I asked gazing back up at her face.

"It's as I said before, Simply Leonard…" The glove covering her damaged right arm was slipped off, said arm moving slowly in my direction, "Only you know of my actual nature. And I would prefer to keep it that way."

"You won't mention it to your teammates?" I asked reaching for her hand.

Keeping something important such as this from your teammates could lead to future situations and heated conversations when, or if, they find out for themselves mid battle or through some other means. In my opinion, I think she should tell them, but I'm no one special to tell her otherwise.

"Eventually I will. But for now...this remains a secret between you and I. You will keep it secret, right?" She asked leaning in towards me, our faces only mere inches apart.

"U-Um… Yes, of course I-"

"Swear it."

Swear it? Well, doing so with a contract would be rather difficult, so instead…

"I swear to keep your secret safe from everyone, even my own family, Bailey Lianna." I said raising up my pinky.

She stared at my hand confused for a moment, but then mimicked me exactly and interlocked her pinky with mine.

Now that I think about it, her skin is so clear… And soft…

I shook my head a few times and let out a silent exhale.

"S-Should we get started then, ms. Lianna?"

"I thought I said to call me Bailey, Simply Leonard."

"Right, my apologies...Bailey…"

With the way her body moved just now, she appeared to be moving towards her bed. Although…her turning around with the apparel she was wearing only stirred those indecent thoughts once again with how much of her back was exposed...and...well...rear...

Thankfully she turned around and sat back down, extending her damaged right arm towards me once more as I gulped silently and stepped forward slightly, kneeling before her as her hand came into my grasp yet again.

Moving my left hand over the injured section of the underside of her forearm, I let my white and black Aura visibly manifest in small streams, those streams soon intertwining with the damaged wiring and circuitry, rectifying the damage slowly within a matter of seconds. When everything internally had been repaired, my Aura began to slowly form a thin veil to cover the damaged section.

Shortly after, the veil began to slowly collapse in on itself as artificial skin now covered the damaged area, as if the arm suffered no damage in the first place.

Good. The repairs went well. Still...if I only need to repair her arm, then why-?

"I'll have you perform a diagnostic scan using this." She said reaching into her desk drawer and pulling out some sort of tool with a wide screen, "This will scan my entire body and determine if their are any other abnormalities to be aware of. Just to be safe."

"R-Right… Is that why..? Um…"

"Why what?" She asked me.

"W-Well… Is that why you removed your clothes?" I asked meekly.

She seemingly stared at me for a few moments, but with her blindfold on, I couldn't tell.

"The clothes interfere with the penetrative, deep layer scans of that device. It's best to wear as little as possible, hence why I'm only wearing this."

"I-I see…" I said raising the device as she laid down flat on the bed, face towards the ceiling of the bunk above her.

I activated the device and watched a light blue hue of cone shaped light emerged from the back, and then moved the device slowly from Bailey's head, moving the scanner down towards her toes.

"Simply Leonard?"

"Y-Yes!"

I definitely wasn't distracted or staring anywhere too long! I'm sure of it!

"Did my revelation perhaps make you...uncomfortable..?"

"N-No! Not in the slightest!"

It was the honest truth. It wasn't what she was that was making me a nervous wreck…

"Then why do you seem distressed? Rather, embarrassed?"

If I told you that Bailey, I'd very likely die from pure shame on the spot!

"M-My sister told me something about me that was rather embarrassing… So I… I can't really push it out of my mind at the moment…"

That was a huge lie, but an acceptable answer.

"Does your sister enjoy teasing you?"

"As much as she enjoys eating doughnuts… Which is constant…"

I swear I heard something that sounded like a giggle just now… Maybe I was imagining it?

My eyes shifted back to the screen of the scanner as it beeped three times, making me aware of its completed process.

"Everything is operating at one hundred percent. No internal or external problems detected." I said quickly laying the scanner back down on her desk.

"Excellent." Said Bailey as she sat up and grabbed her dress from off the floor, putting it on while I looked away, "Thank you very much for your help...Simply Leonard."

"I'm happy to be of assistance any time. I may not be as skilled as my brother, but I'll do my best for you."

Wait, what did I just say?!

I was practically the only one who stared back awkwardly at Bailey as she kept up her stoic expression, except for when her soft lips curled into a warm smile.

"Thank you. I'm sure you were off to take care of your own tasks for the day, so it'd probably be best if you resume them. We can speak with one another again another time."

"Y-Yes… Another time then. Thank you." I said with a quick bow before opening the door and closing it behind me.

I'm not sure I'll be able to survive another session...

* * *

 **(Dante Pov)**

"Alright, I'm gonna head out for a bit. I'll catch you later."

"Where are you going Master?" asked Inuba as I stood up from my desk chair.

"I"m gonna go check up on Chroma, see if he still has all his limbs. And brain. And other household necessities. And-"

"I think we understand." replied my partner.

"Cool, tell BeanBag I said hi." said Ciel, keeping her eyes on the article she was reading.

"BeanBag? That's your nickname for him?" I asked opening our door.

"Eh. It's an off day."

I only shook my head and sighed as I told them, "I'm off."

I closed the door behind us and looked around to see no one out and about. Well, we did have a week long break, and we finished up with the Hydra nonsense just last night. That and it's 10 am. Who gets up at 10 am? Then again, I don't really sleep so…

Let's see… What was Chroma's room number again? A quick look in the school directory told me room 308. Not too far from our own. Like literally across from us. Just a step or two forward.

Well...let's see how this goes…

Three knocks on the door and some wait. Let's see how fast their response time is.

"Kyzal, you get it."

"Fuck you, you get it."

"Both of you shut up or you'll wake Scarlet. I'll get the goddamned door."

They've been having a pleasant morning. I could just tell.

I'm going to put on my hood and have a bit of fun.

Footsteps on the other side of the door gradually drew nearer before a mechanical lock released and the door slowly opened.

"Howdy, what can I do you for, stranger?" It was Gabriel Stryker that opened the door, peering at me from beneath his tanned cowboy hat with tired, purple eyes.

"Ray Chroma..?" I asked in a deep and eerie voice.

"Nah, he's still sulking over his injuries."

"I heard that."

He heard that apparently.

"I have come for his soul… His time is due…"

"Take it. I don't want it anyway." spoke the monotonous voice again, who I assumed to be Ray himself.

Well he's full of sunshine and happiness. Just like Nosferatu in the dorm room behind us.

"I'm kidding. He's not due for a long time. Then again, I wouldn't exactly know. Never met the Reaper." I replied pulling down my hood.

That was a complete lie, I knew him. We played chess on Sundays.

"You must be Dante, right?" Questioned Gabriel, "Leader of DICL? Punching bag of Ezdeil?"

Seriously with that? Punching bag? They do realize his punch had literally no effect on me besides momentary bruising right? Maybe I should give them an example…

No no, we're here to be friends.

"Punching bag...you say..?" I replied with my eye visibly twitching slightly.

"We saw that uh…scuffle in the hallway… He straight up punched you, man." Gabriel replied hesitantly as he slipped his hand inside his blazer pocket.

"Yeah, I know you guys were there. Good on you to stay behind the corner."

"Me and Scarlet were in our dorm room and heard it, scared the hell out of her." Called Kyzal from the back of the room.

"The sound? Or the fact someone could have been actually, physically, realistically murdered?"

"We were less focused on the prospect of you dying, and more on the fact that Scarlet jumped out of her own skin."

"The sound was pretty loud… But yeah, all good."

"It was actually 162 decibels, but you know…" Ray mumbled as he limped to the kitchenette.

"Who cares, right?" I replied with an awkward smile.

A few moments of awkward silence and shuffling occurred before Gabriel finally swung the door open.

"Do you wanna come in, or…?"

"I would love to." I said stepping inside.

It was...sort of plain? I guess. I mean, there was singing trophies, a few books, and one desk that was completely littered with all manner of electronics. That must be Ray's. Or Kyzal's if he's trying to figure out how to build a pocket radio.

Pretty roomy overall.

Wait, someone's still sleeping? It's like, 10 am. Hold on a minute...

"I see you've noticed Scarlet, she's been up all night." Gabriel supplied, "And since we don't have anything interesting to do for the rest of the week, we're just letting her rest."

Noticed?! Do any of you feel that coming from her Aura? It's almost like a refined aspect of Darkness… How many aspects were there? There's mine and my siblings', which is Pure Dark. And…

Crap, I forgot the rest. I need to reread the Secret Histories again.

"How could you not notice a person sleeping?"

"Because she's 5'2 and can fit in any of our suitcases." Ray replied, pouring himself a glass of orange juice.

Well, I didn't want to say anything related to her height. That would be insensitive of me. But, he was right. She was…smol, as the hipsters say these days.

"Um… Fair point? I guess…" I replied shrugging my shoulders.

"Anyway, is this just a social visit, or is there anything we can do for you, man?" Gabriel asked, smiling, "I'm not opposed to visitors, but these losers hate company."

Definitely right on the mark when I said he was flamboyant and slightly arrogant…

"Social visit mainly? I came to check up on him to see if he still has his limbs and everything."

"I find that answer vague and unconvincing." Ray retorted, sipping his orange juice as he approached the bed on the far left.

"Your general well being, is that better?"

"I don't understand why you'd be so concerned, it's not like we're friends." Ray gently rolled Scarlet over so he could sit on the bed.

True, but…

"That doesn't mean we won't be. And hey, look at it this way. Acquainting each other now so become friends faster. Win win."

In my view at least.

"Have you met Ray? He's not exactly the most friendly of people."

"How flattering, Flyboy."

Kyzal sat up straight and glared at him, "What did you just call m-"

"Alright alright, no fisticuffs here gents. We don't need a mess early in the morning."

"Assuming he could even hit me with those feather dusters..." Ray murmured just before taking another sip of his juice.

"Never underestimate the feathers. Unless you want a quick passing to the Beyond." I lectured him, getting a subtle thumbs up of approval from Kyzal.

You're welcome dude.

Angels are scary man. Their feathers are like blades. Who's to say avian Faunus can't do the same?

"Besides, you two keep this up and you'll wake Scarlet, then we're all screwed." Gabriel added.

You wouldn't like her when she's angry..? That's assuming she can put us through the wall. I don't need an early repeat of wannabe One Punch man from her now. Ezdeil delivered on that already.

"You realize that she'd sleep through an artillery strike, right? Even Ray can't wake her up." Kyzal replied, swiping his scroll as he spoke.

"I'll pass on trying."

Ditto.

I looked to Ray for a moment and saw him turn to face Kyzal as he spoke. That's when I noticed...a black ring-like stud? What the heck is that for? I'm curious now.

"Yeah, please don't, we don't need that kind of ungodly, hellish nightmare right now." Kyzal returned.

Pal, you don't know the half of it.

Oh yeah, black nodes on the grumpy one. Must check.

"That reminds me, I heard about some residual, lingering effects when I visited the Medical Wing. Since you came into contact with the Hydra, you might have those same effects."

"Are you talking all of us? Or only some of us?" Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity as he sat on his own bed.

"The fluffy one with the really really happy smile." I said nodding to Ray.

"That is his happy face." Gabriel replied, smirking at me, earning a roll of the eyes from Ray.

"I could tell. My partner taught me how to take care of it in case an effects are present. She's really good when it comes to the medical field. Mind if I check you over real quick?"

"Actually, I do mind, you said this was just a social visit."

"And to see how you're faring. If I leave now and then something happens, some people would be upset. Maybe."

"Define 'lingering effects' first."

"Okay, so I'll simplify in comparison to my Aura as an example. My attacks are Aura based and infused. But what's important about it is that said Aura attacks have a lingering effect after dealing damage. For instance, a regenerator not being able to heal after being hit with my Aura. So almost like a lingering curse effect."

"So how does this translate to Grimm exactly? They don't possess a soul, thus cannot generate Aura." Ray questioned, his eyes narrowing a fraction of an inch.

"You don't need a soul to give someone a curse like effect. There's still some unknowns when it comes to Grimm. Besides, wouldn't it be better if you have a potential problem taken care of before it has the potential to be a potential irreversible problem?"

Are the confusion tactics working? Or at least giving me more ground? I must figure out what those nodules are!

"That also sounds vague and unconvincing, Dante. I know how to take care of myself."

Hey, he knows my name. Cool.

"Yeah… But…" I had to think a bit here, "Do you know how to take care of yourself when Supernatural effects are present?"

I don't think so mister.

"Wouldn't it be a better idea to bring your partner in on this instead? You said she taught you, but I feel like she might be better qualified…" Gabriel readjusted his hat as he spoke.

"She has homework and sent me instead."

That was a lie, I really don't know what she's up to right now.

"So, there's apparently some deadly, supernatural lingering effects that originated from the Hydra, that may or may not be infecting Ray, and your partner isn't here because she's doing homework?" Kyzal questioned, switching his attention to me.

"We're being very competitive with grades this semester."

That's actually true. For Ciel and Leo at least.

"So that excuses her from curing a magic ailment? Sounds legitimate, go right ahead."

Ah, nice.

I took a few steps forward and-

"That was a joke, Dante. Sounds to me like you're bullshitting."

"Oh sure, it's all fun and bullshit when an extra dimensional portal opens from your left eye socket and unleashes god knows what."

I actually saw that happen once. It was pretty disgusting.

"How about you tell me the real reason? I'm not blind, I've been watching you eye up the studs on my back for the past five minutes."

Mission failed, abort abort abort.

"Whatever do you mean?" I asked innocently.

Ray turned to face his teammates with a questioning expression, "Is he being fucking serious right now?"

Both replied with a shrug.

"Deadly serious. Your heart might actually pop out of your left eye. Or something weird like that."

"I'll just get it replaced, but it still doesn't excuse the fact that you're actually exhibiting all of the majorly known signs of a liar right now. Care to explain that one?"

Replaced? Hmmm… He may have just told me what I wanted without having to check those nodules. Still want to be sure though.

And don't judge me, I'm out of practice with this sort of thing.

"Unless you want those two to have ammunition on you in the future, I suggest you let me confirm something real quick. Not that I'd say anything about it to anyone else. But...some things of the supernatural persuasion wouldn't exactly work in your favor or agree with you, if you know what I mean. Especially if your constitution is a bit different."

I'm trying to be subtle here dingus, take the bait and let me question you silently under the false pretense of a medical check so they don't notice.

"Then what is it you're asking of me? Do you want me to step outside or what? Be more specific."

"Just a 'peek under the hood' to make sure everything's alright while Kyzal and Gabriel stand in the corner for like, two minutes."

Ray sighed before getting to his feet, "Or we can just step outside, you know, the easy way."

"But where's the fun in that?" I asked.

"Because I know what you're referring to and I don't want them knowing you idiot, so follow me." Ray whispered as he passed me.

"Fiiine." I said with mock dejection, "Back in a jiffy." I told the other two before stepping outside with Ray, closing the door behind us.

"Let's see… How do I do it again..?" I said to myself.

"Do what?" Ray snapped.

"Nothing bad to you. Um… Let's see… Visualize and…"

I remembered the lesson Inuba gave me once, snapped my fingers and watched a thin veil of my white and black Aura cover the door. The main purpose of it was to cancel out noise so no one could hear us. Speaking of which…

I quickly opened up my HoloScroll, something Ray eyed keenly for a moment as I looked for the speaker controls and shut them off for our floor, that way no one else could listen in either just in case.

"Nice. All good now."

"So, I already have a strong feeling that I know what you're referring to, but just to clarify, what is it you want to check?" He asked as he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.

"How much of you is original?" I asked in a more serious tone.

"You talking physically or mentally? Because I can give you specifics for the former."

"How much of your original body is left?"

"82% give or take a few minor adjustments."

"82% huh?" I would have figured it was more given his...mannerisms, "Implants and such? No replacements?"

"Half of my brain was surgically removed and replaced with a modular quantum computer. Along with that, I have a series of multiple sensor arrays implanted down my spinal cord, compact defibrillators in my chest, and 90% of my skeletal structure has been reinforced with a titanium-steel alloy."

"Oh~ Sturdy. Still, could the nodules be any more obvious?"

I mean, they're literally out there for the world to see technically.

"If they were inside my body, I would be scanning myself, you moron."

"Not with the right artificial skin grafts you wouldn't. You'd be able to hide those nodes and anything else poking out and still retain full functionality."

I would know. I have an android for a best friend. Well, had.

He's not dead or anything, he's still on Primordial.

"I implanted them when I was 12, you think I could master genetics at that age when I was already studying mechanical engineering and a degree in chemistry?"

"No, but I'm sure whoever helped with your process would have been able to do that."

Maybe? I don't know who worked on Ray. Relative more than likely.

Ray's eyes illuminated briefly before he took a silent breath.

"I'm sure he would have..." he began, speaking lowly, "If he wasn't dead..."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be insensitive or anything."

"Don't worry about it, I wouldn't expect you to know if you've only been here for three months."

Yeah… Wait… Are you freaking-?

"How did you-?"

"It's kind of hard not to notice a fucking mansion suddenly erupting out of nowhere on your soil. I know who you are, I know where you live, but what I don't know, is why you came to this fucking planet."

I'm on his-?

Oh my god he knows I'm not from Remnant.

Crap.

Well, this is just great. Anoel knows because she used mystical voodoo magic, and now Chroma knows because he's more than likely been using the mountain for definitely non-nefarious purposes.

And we just popped out of the freaking sky basically. Great.

"Okay, first, I'm not some freaky Cthulhuean being from outer space that was waiting to eat the brains of every living person on this planet. Just to get that out there."

"No, but you built a goddamned mansion on my mountain. I'd kill a man for less." He scoffed.

"Well, how is anyone supposed to know you own a mountain? There wasn't exactly a 'private property' sign planted anywhere. Especially at the top of the mountain."

Who on earth owns a mountain? Much less needs one?

"That's because they're not supposed to know. Do you have any idea who I am?" He asked me a quizzical glare.

"Other than your name, no. And we're not paying rent for a mountain. That's just dumb."

"You've been here for three months, and you're telling me you haven't read a single book?"

I have, just not on you.

"We've been reading books to figure out more about where we were genius, we just didn't go looking explicitly for famous people. Or infamous. Whichever persuasion you're involved in."

"Well, the next chance you get, look up the name 'Orion Chroma'. That should tell you all you need to know. And on top of that, look my name up on the internet and search for articles relevant to six years ago."

And yet again I whipped out my HoloScroll and did a quick search on the web for Orion Chroma.

Let's see… Hostage rescuing, high bandit apprehension rate, run of the mill Huntsmen stuff. Pretty good at it too.

Woah, holy crud.

Quantum computer mechanics? Nice!

Hey...what's this?

"Avramosis?" I said reading the lines of the article.

"The only reason for me to ever set foot on these condemned grounds in the first place."

Sword must be special. Why though? What does it do specifically?

…

You're kidding me…

"Bending light? What hell kind of sword is this?"

Please don't be a mystical sword from The Plane of Angels. Please.

"The kind of sword people will steal, pillage, and kill for. Which is why I have to get its final piece and rebuild it before they can. I already have the other pieces."

So it's technically in safe hands.

"Please tell me this was human made…"

Ray practically chuckled at my inquiry.

"My father's journal notes how he made the physical blade, but its power source, the gem, is unknown in origin and one of its kind. That said, the alloy formula has been smudged over time, so it's practically impossible to recreate." Ray explained, "It does note where he found the gem though. But after visiting the tomb myself, it seems to have been completely wiped off of the map. Not a single trace that it ever existed."

Great, just when I escaped otherworldly nonsense, there's more here. We can't catch a break…

"Erased on purpose then?"

"Most likely."

Secret dies with the maker. Technically.

Alright, let's do a search on you then.

"Missing for six years? Did you go into hiding or something?"

"You can take a punch from that thing." Ray gestured to ELAA's dorm room, "but you can't dig a fucking hole? I've been living under the mountain for 5 and a half years, Dante. Hence why you had no idea."

So you're Gollum then? Nice.

"We're still not paying rent."

"That's nice, I don't need your money anyway." He said almost annoyed with my joke.

Come on, it's sort of funny. Laugh.

"Guy like you has more than enough I bet."

"Enough to build an entire vault spanning 30 kilometers underground, yes."

Vault?

"Is that what's under the mountain?" I asked.

Ray nodded.

Great. Gollum with potential super mega death weapons under the mountain. We're screwed if he wants to take over the world.

"Just to be safe… There haven't been...problems on the mountain, right? No stuff spontaneously combusting or anything?"

I worry about how curious Kareina gets sometimes. And I worry more for the potential victims that would dare attack her.

Ray shook his head, "None from my end. So long as you don't touch my gun emplacements."

"We'd have no reason to."

"Good. Well then, since you've taken the liberty to interrogate me, I think it's fair if I return the favour, no?" Ray asked, though it was a rhetorical question.

"Sure?"

I could only imagine what questions he'd ask me.

"What are you and where do you come from, because you're certainly not from here."

"No idea what I am and we came from another World, all of which all the different Worlds are separated by magical barriers. So even if you traveled into deep space, you wouldn't be able to access a different World unless with the right permissions to enter a Passage. But as of three months ago, those were all broken."

By yours truly. Why did I destroy those passages? Well...I didn't intentionally do it. But that's a story for another time.

Ray hummed in acknowledgement, "So you don't know what you are, but you know what planet you're from? Right." He said with a huff as he glanced off in the opposite direction.

"Not a planet, think different dimensional universe. Or whatever term the kids are using these days. And no, I haven't the slightest. I just know I heal rapidly and that my bones are way tougher than yours."

"Advanced regeneration isn't exactly unheard of, though as for your bones, I don't really care. That said, I know someone who has access to a pocket dimension, so you don't need to oversimplify that."

"Hey, my sister can make those too."

She can. Her abilities are also dimensional based.

"Good for her." Ray replied with a roll of his eyes, slipping his hands inside his pockets.

"Right… So, you didn't break the news to your teammates?"

"What they don't know can't hurt them and I don't want them knowing because it complicates things. My stance on this school isn't exactly pleasant, if you couldn't already tell. All I care about is getting the gem and leaving, that's it."

"It'll make things more complicated in the future. You're the kind of guy whom I'm assuming would rather avoid a hassle, right?" I asked, getting a nod, "It doesn't have to be now, but at least sometime in the future or something. Otherwise things could get messy."

"I prefer the term efficient. They don't need to know because I don't intend on staying long enough for it to become relevant."

"Heh… You say that now, but you might get a heart when you least expect it, tinman." I said nudging his shoulder

"Don't bet on in, extraterrestrial." He said brushing away my elbow.

"Not an alien. As far as I'm concerned, I'm human at best."

"By definition, the term 'alien' means someone or something that does not originate from its current location."

"Primordial, Remnant, same difference. Humans in both places."

"I'm only calling you that because 'other-worldly' doesn't make a good nickname, jackass."

"You're a sarcastic, snarky, cyborg. It's hard to tell what you're up to. Thinking and otherwise."

"Variety is the spice of life."

"Yeah yeah…"

That's all I had to say. For now anyway.

I'm going to have fun with this one. I can already tell.

"Well, your quote on quote check up is done. If you need help with something, I guess I'm your man for it. I worked on a sentient Android once, so if you've got some technical problems, also happy to help."

"You're making me out to sound like an old vehicle…" he said with a hint of annoyance to his tone, "The whole point of having mechanical parts is to take good care of them. But whatever, I'll keep it in mind."

"Alright then. See you later."

Please walk into it. Please walk into it. Make my day a happy one.

Ray approached the door, slowly making a grab for the handle before suddenly freezing, "Remove the barrier."

Damn, so close.

I snapped my fingers, and the veil of Aura covering the door became visible and shattered like glass into tiny fragments, dissolving in the air a second later to allow Ray passage back into his room.

"Have a nice day. You know where we are."

Ray opened the door a fraction before turning back to me.

"And tell that fox's fucking mother to quit snooping around my vault. She's fucking with the sensors."

Pffft. Nice one Kareina.

"I'll make sure to do that. Bye bye now."

And then door shut. Thus was the last time I ever saw Ray Chroma.

I'm totally kidding.

But like I said before, I'm sure I'll be seeing more of him around.

* * *

 **Nothing to say except in a rush.**

 **So with that, I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Of Rabbits and Dragon Masks**

«»

This is stupid…

I let out a sigh as I walked out of the parking garage where I parked the Cadillac Ciel, which we took the time to name. Yes, name. Her name is now officially Primarius. A distinguished name for a distinguished and elegant car. I mean, we were going to go places with her. So we had to give her name.

I twirled the ring loop holding the small key-remote around my finger a few times before tossing it up in the air and letting the loop fall on my pinky finger as I caught it, twirling it around a bit longer before pocketing it in my jeans.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling, I stretched my arms before lowering them, where I then took a quick glance of the street before me before walking across.

I can't die, but getting hit by a car still sucks. A bus is even worse.

Now let's see…

I brought my HoloScroll display as I walked on the sidewalk, easily remembering the route to the store in Vale I was heading for, but checking the grocery list once more to be certain.

One soda case of pineapple special spice for Ciel, one soda case of grapefruit, two soda cases, one for me and one for Inuba, of cherry limeade, and a three pack box of 1.5 liter milk cartons. We have a decently sized fridge in the corner of our room, but we still shouldn't overfill it.

Then again, Ciel and I eat like absolute monsters. Monsters in the sense we can eat a lot. Leo can too, but he doesn't eat as much as we do.

I was getting close to the entrance of the store, but for a while now, I couldn't help but feel like I was being followed by someone. Who'd want to follow me around?

…

Oh right… I just remembered… There's been quite a few girls trying for my attention lately. Most of their attempts have been rather nice. Some a bit creepy, and others...well...a tad bit disturbing… And this has been the first few days…

Thankfully Ciel chases them away… Though I'm pretty sure more than once Inuba herself was about ready to chase them away herself. I guess Ciel likes the job more though.

It didn't take me long to find everything on our list, especially since the soda cases and milk were close to each other. Once I paid the clerk, I was off once more in the streets of Vale during the night, it's bright lights and buildings shining brilliantly as people walked by, enshrouded by the glamour and beauty of the streets.

Peace is always nice. But unfortunately, others don't agree so much with the idea of peace. That's why people like us need to work hard to keep the peace. Still...these days, it's getting harder and harder to do so.

Ah, it'll be fine. We'll make it.

...

My stupidity sense is tingling.

Not too far away, I could hear some mindless rabble of idiots in an alleyway. My curiosity gets the best of me at times, hence why I often get into trouble now and then.

Oh well, can't be helped. Let's see what's going on.

I moved a bit quicker than usual in case there was trouble going on, but still remained behind the cover of the wall, peeking my head slightly to look in.

"Come on, it'll be fun. If you come with us, you'll definitely be guaranteed a good time."

"Will I now?" Asked a feminine voice coyly.

Oh, so it's one of these types of situations.

"And what kind of fun can I expect from guys like you?" Spoke the voice again.

She seems calm… Oddly so… There's like…five guys in that alleyway. Either she's calm because she's trying to call their bullshit, or is expecting someone to come running if she needs to scream, or maybe…

One the guys slammed his hand against the wall where the girl was supposed to be, but given there was another guy blocking my view of her, I couldn't see what she looked like.

"The kind of fun that can last all day and night...if you're lucky enough that is…"

Someone's awfully confident…

"Oh? So you think you can handle me? Or did you bring along the other four to compensate?"

Damn. She's a snappy one… I mean really, she just doesn't care.

"You'll find out soon enough." Said the man chuckling along with his pals as he placed a hand under what I guessed was her chin.

Uh-oh, bad touch. Time to step in.

The only noise they heard was my footsteps as I approached them, all of their eyes turning towards me.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Just a passerby is all. I don't think you should be doing that though, since I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to hang out with the rest of you."

"Oh yeah? And how do you know that?"

"For instance, her tone of voice. She's annoyed she got stopped and pulled away by trashy manwhores like you guys."

"What did you say?!"

"The second is that she doesn't care about a single one of you in anyway. To her, you're all just trash too."

"Cut this guy so he knows who he's dealing with."

Their clothes are almost the same. Black suits and red ties. Only, one of them wore a white suit and black tie, which meant he had to be their leader. That and white suit was the one trying to lean in to our still unknown potential victim.

More importantly, one of them was walking up to me quickly. With the way he positioned his arm, he was moving for a stab.

That made this much easier.

I calmly set aside my bags of groceries and stood up straight, allowing the man to come closer until he went for a stab at my chest.

All I did was raise up my hand and catch his knife between my index finger and thumb, grasping it tightly as the man stood there in awe. Then, with a little application of force, I snapped the blade easily and dropped it to the floor like a pin. Quickly grabbing his hand that held the handle of his broken blade.

I squeezed hard enough to make him let go of the handle with a strong yelp, allowing me to catch it before I let go of his arm, spun around and delivered a powerful side kick to his face, blowing him away completely as he flew overhead of his allies and out into the street on the opposite end of the alleyway.

Terrified by what they saw, they all turned to look in my direction once again, as finally the one blocking my view allowed me to see who exactly was their target.

She was about 5'4, six inches shorter than me, and had a slender figure between petite and endowed, though a bit more lithe and slender. Though, I could tell she had some curves given the clothes she was wearing.

Speaking of which, all she wore was a pair of form fitting black nylon-spandex compression shorts with a 1 inch inseam, showing off her rather lovely legs. And looking from the side, well...let's just say it put nice emphasis on her figure. In addition, she wore a dark blue sleeveless, thin strap shirt that had a bit of a longer split rear tail and a thin fabric hood that currently was down, and white multi strap, open sandal-shoes with low heels, the straps rising above her ankles slightly. She also had a small white purse of sorts still hanging on her shoulder.

As for more on her features, she had fair colored white skin, and most noticeably, ice blue irises and chin length, ice blue hair, her bangs on the sides of her head almost dangling to her shoulders. The back of her hair was short, just covering the nape of her neck. Looking at her hair, it was neat, but had a slight messiness to it, almost like Inuba's.

Speaking of being almost like Inuba, there was another noticeable feature to her that drew my attention, and it was the two ice blue rabbit ears atop her head. She was a Faunus…

Usually, situations like these, it's to bully another Faunus or cause them harm. But these guys are looking to take "Faunus lover" to a new level.

Our eyes soon found each other, and her sharp gaze she presented for others softened, as if they relaxed when they saw mine. Then...she smiled at me…

"You little bastard! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

There's four of them left. Should be easy unless-

"Do you know who you're messing with?!"

He pulls out a gun. Great.

Option A, take the gunfire and spook the hell out of them. Option B, simply kick their ass and horrify them completely.

I'm liking Option B since it doesn't involve removing bullets from my body later. Hopefully.

One step forward was all it took for the man to take aim and fire at me, but before he pulled the trigger, I predicted his trajectory and moved my body to the side, quickly tossing the broken blade handle into the stomach of the man with the gun, sending him spiraling towards the dumpster behind him as his lower back hit it and flipped him backwards into the dumpster.

That looked like it hurt.

The other two were smart enough to run, but white suit stayed where he was and whipped out a gun of his own. Only he didn't point it at me.

Crap.

He brought in the unnamed rabbit Faunus girl and pointed it at her head instead.

"Listen…"

"No you listen, punk!" He said cutting me off, "I don't know who you are or where the hell you came from, but you better get the hell out of here, or I'll shoot her!"

"And after all the trouble you went through to grab her? I don't think so. Besides...what makes you think I'd let you do that? Or better yet...that I can't get to you beforehand?"

He seemed to be trembling a bit. Then again, the look I gave him was one of those "You are so dead" looks. I'm very good at those when I need be.

Alright, this idiot might pull the trigger on accident because I've got him scared. I'll cover the side of her head with a small barrier, and use an Aura sword to-

Did she just yawn?

He took note of that too.

"Alright. We're done here."

Before I could say anything, she forced her head back into white suit's jaw and forced him off her. She then grabbed his arm, slung him up into the air while still holding onto him before slamming him back down into the ground, making cracks in the ground.

Damn she's strong…

"You may want to look away for a bit." She told me with a smile.

"Um, why?"

She wasn't going to actually kill him, was she?

"Well…" she said grabbing the man's legs and spreading them apart a bit, "You're a guy, so this might be uncomfortable for you to watch."

As soon as I saw her raise up her leg, I immediately turned around and winced silently as I heard the strong stomping noises behind me along with the agonizing cries of white suit.

The stomping continued for about twenty seconds.

"There, all done."

I slowly turned around and found the unknown girl walking towards me with a satisfied smile on her face. Looking behind her, I could see white suit was out cold.

He was an utter douche, but I seriously hope she didn't crush his grapes to the point where he died from extreme pain.

"He's not dead. Though, when he wakes up, I'm pretty sure he'd be wishing he was."

"I think anyone would wish they were dead after that. I mean really, you messed him up."

"Aw, thank you." She replied with a simple sweetness to her tone as she skipped over to me, "So...who art thou, my brave, shining knight in armor?"

"Like I said, just a passerby. No thanks required." I said picking up my groceries to leave.

"Aw? Going so soon?" She said as her rabbit ears rather cutely folded against her head while giving me puppy dog eyes.

"I've got siblings with a voracious appetite for their respective sodas. Knowing one of them, she'll be bugging some poor random around campus."

"Ah… Now I see why you got some moves. You go to Beacon, don't you?"

"Who knows?"

"Mmmm… You're no fun."

"I'm plenty of fun. I just shouldn't talk to strangers about personal details."

"Why? Afraid I'm gonna stalk you? Steal your clothes to sniff them and add them to a personal collection shrine?"

Either she's like that or she's messing with me right now.

"I'm totally kidding. I'm not into that kind of stuff. If anything…" she said as she linked her arm around mine while pressing herself against me, "I prefer a more...direct approach."

Direct, huh..?

"Come on. You give me your name, and I'll give you mine."

I don't think there's much harm behind it. But after that little show in the alleyway, she's got me slightly intimidated with her advanced pain techniques.

"I'm Dante."

"Dante? Just plain and simple? No last name or anything?"

"None." I replied evenly as we continued walking down the street, allowing my new companion to guide me about.

"That's cool. I guess. But still, I have to ask, is the reason you don't have a last name because you're an illegitimate child of the Schnee family?"

I almost laughed at that. But a small chuckle sufficed.

"I get that a lot. In fact, I'm thinking Weiss Schnee herself has been working up the courage to ask me a few questions."

"Oh? She's going to Beacon too? Nice."

"I gave you some details. What about you?"

"Interested in me are you?"

Well, when you're out and about and reverse the tables on your potential rapists by stamping out their bosses future generations, yeah, I get a little interested. Definitely not because you're cute or anything.

…

Maybe...

"Hey, you said you'd tell me about yourself a little." I replied.

"That I did. Alright tough guy, I'll drop only my name for you. Anything else happens after the second date."

What is she even-? Wait, did she say second date?!

"Elisia Fey is my name. As for anything else about me-"

"Second date…" I muttered.

"Ehhh~? Were you expecting a second date?" She asked pressing herself against me further, still sporting her coy and fox-like smile.

Not particularly. I was probably going to think about it if you asked. It'd be rude to turn you down otherwise.

Especially if she offered.

"Not really."

Taking a glance at her, she almost seemed saddened with my response.

"So, where are we going?" I asked as I continued allowing Elisia to lead me.

"To the airship docks, if you don't mind."

"You must live a good distance away if you need to get an airship dock."

"I might. Why? Interested in coming home with me?"

"I would if I didn't have to go back to Beacon."

"Oh~? What's this? Are you trying to hit on me? Heh, that almost made my heart skip a beat, but now that I think about it, that won't be happening so soon."

This girl…

"What's wrong?" She asked me.

"I'm just getting tired of your fox-like act."

"What? Oh please, I'm just being myself."

Playing around with people is being yourself?

"Besides, you're acting pretty foxy yourself, Dante."

In what way? Being secretive a bit about who I am in front of a newly acquainted person? Either way, I was going to sing your tune.

"What? Oh please, I'm just being myself." I replied exactly as she did to me not too long ago, only a bit more monotonous.

She pouted at my response. What did she expect?

Elisia only sighed next as she loosened her grip on me slightly.

"So, you're a student at Beacon, huh… How have you liked it so far?"

"It's pretty great so far. Probably most exciting thing yet was the Drakian Hydra we handled about two days ago."

"Whoa, you took part in that?"

Ah… I probably shouldn't say I killed the thing.

"Yeah… Just lobbed off a few heads with the help of some friends then took it down right after. Wasn't easy in the slightest with all that high pressure boiling water it was shooting at us."

"I can imagine… So, did you kill it?"

"Well, I helped with-"

"I'm asking if you finished it off."

"Why is that so important to you?"

"Because I can tell you're pretty strong."

"Just like that?" I asked questioning her methods of determining my strength.

"Just like that. It's why I asked if you pretty much killed the Hydra. Seriously though, why not try to talk about it more and be proud of yourself? I mean, killing a Drakian Hydra isn't exactly the easiest thing in the world to do." She stated as her gaze drifted towards the streets ahead of us.

"I'm not one who enjoys bragging unless for the sake of a joke."

"Oh? Super handsome, strong, humble... I think I'm starting to warm up to you."

"Is that right?" I asked her, shooting her a quizzical glance.

"Come on. Pretty boy like you doesn't get girls asking for your number or a date any other day?"

Well… In high school, yeah, but this isn't high school.

Even so, there's no question that there's been a few girls following me about, asking for my help, or other things at Beacon. That and...well...a lot of the girls there at the academy are actually pretty cute…

"Not really." I replied.

"Eh~? I think you're lying about that one." She said with her now infamous smile, "Wait, are you-?"

"No, that's not it." I quickly replied, realizing what she was about to ask, "I'm just not that focused on girls for the moment."

"Hmmm~ You should probably hurry though. The longer you wait, the higher the chances of the right one slipping away from you."

The right one huh..?

…

Is there such a person for someone like me..?

"Alright, pretty sensitive topic, so I'll just drop it."

"You're pretty considerate." I complimented.

"I know, right?"

We seem to be getting along with each other really well.

"Who might that be?"

I looked to Elisia quickly before following her gaze to see someone standing ahead of us.

All I could see was a man standing before us a short distance away, sporting a tattered black cloak that covered his entire being. From his feet, I saw he was wearing silvery colored zori sandals along with black tabi socks that rose above his ankles quite a bit. His cloak had long, wide cuff sleeves that hid his hands.

From what else I saw, he did have his black hood up, but the entirety of his head was covered by a small, white mask-helmet made of what looked like bone with some red markings and details. But what drew my attention the most was the shape of the helmet.

It resembled that of a Grimm-like dragon. The horns remained on the upper parts of the sides of the mask and were slightly slicked back in a diagonal angle. The eyeholes of the mask were slanted and pitch black inside, no visible glow or anything coming from within.

"Cosplayer friend of yours?" Asked Elisia as she let go of me.

"None that I know of." I said moving my bags over to her, "Mind holding these for a bit?"

"Sure..?" She replied taking my bags.

"Thanks."

My steps forward were slow and steady for the purpose of preparing for any attack when he moved. But instead of full on charging the quote on quote "Dragon Guy", I stopped just a few feet away from him and waited in case he had anything to say for himself. But silence was all that was had.

* * *

 **(A/N Imagine "Dragon Guy" with the voice of Doug Erholtz, who voiced Gin Ichimaru from Bleach and Hazama/Terumi from BlazBlue.)**

"So, what's your game?" I asked as I stood patiently, seeing if he was going to move at anytime.

"Game?" He replied, his voice slightly higher pitched than mine, "Well, I do suppose my reasons for being here can be similar to that of a game really."

"Is that right?"

"If anything, I'd like to measure your strength for the purposes of knowing. And entertainment on the side."

Entertainment?

"You seem like an interesting fellow. So before I move on elsewhere for the day, I'd at least like the opportunity of a battle." He told me.

I have a feeling even if I said no that he'd chase me down. Only, this isn't a case like with Musashi. This guy...was much more serious...and ominous. The feeling I was getting from his presence alone was something that made me alert and wary of him.

I wasn't getting home tonight without crossing swords with this guy.

"If anything, I'd like to go home tonight. But I get the feeling you're not gonna let me off that easily."

"Nope." He simply replied.

I only sighed as I lowered my hand entirely and opened up my palm, white and black Aura forming in my hands before taking on the form of my longsword, it's white blade shining under the glow of the street lights.

Then, the Dragon Masked man reached within the confines of his cloak, slowly drawing out his tool of destruction. It was a weapon like mine, a longsword. Only, compared to the elegance of my sword, his took on a more sinister appearance.

The entirety of his longsword was colored black and looked like a weapon made from bone. The blade itself was smoothed and refined compared to the rest of the design of the weapon. The handle showed off that more sinister aspect, the cross branches resembling crimson red muscle fibers coiled together, where at the center where they met was encased in black bone like plating in the shape of a diamond.

There were also two prongs on the ends of branches facing upwards towards the sky, resembling curved, sharp teeth. The majority of the handle looked similar to the branches in which it resembled crimson, coiled together muscle fibers. There where two sections of the handle encased in black material, most likely for gripping the weapon. The pommel had a similar curved sharp tooth design to the prongs on the ends of the branches.

What the hell was this weapon? More importantly, who the heck is this guy?

I waited in silent anticipation, constantly squeezing and relaxing my grip on my sword as I kept my eyes trained and focused on my soon to be opponent.

The few people near us began to clear out as fast as they could, and using the reflection off the window of a car, I could see Elisia remaining where she was, only moving off to the side to give us room to fight.

She was intent on staying and watching. Which begged the question as to whether or not she knew this Dragon Guy. Then again, she was just as surprised as I was, so I don't think that's the case.

Everyone that could leave had gone as the Dragon Masked man and I had the entire street block to ourselves, the night wind breezing through the area briefly as a few leaves drifted around us.

I only smirked at the idea of his "go" signal. It was something I've seen many a time before now.

The stranger made the the first move as soon as the last of the leaves flew past us, and I darted forward to meet him head on.

Instead of clashing with him head on, I moved past his downwards cut and swung down on him with great force, only to find my sword blocked by his once he twirled it around into backhand style.

We remained still for a short while until the stranger pushed me back and we began striking at one another. He and I moved in roundabouts with each swing, only clashing for mere moments before moving in to strike at each other again.

Once more we clashed, the sharpened edges of our blades tearing at one another as sparks flew from the zone of contact. Yet again I was pushed back with great force whilst sliding on my heels to a stop. As I stopped, I grasped my sword with both hands and repositioned myself back into a stance.

"My my, you're pretty good. Probably one of the best I've seen in a long while."

"You go around picking fights with everyone?" I asked keeping my stance.

"Not really. But I can't help but want to test one's abilities if they look strong. I travel quite a lot, so it's really the only source of entertainment I get."

"Sorry pal, but I'm not interested in play dates."

"Now now, don't be such a spoilsport. You should be having too."

But I'm not.

"Oh well. I guess it can't be helped."

My eyes widened when I heard the Dragon Masked man directly behind me and turned my head around to see him swinging at my neck from the side.

The scorch of his swing was so strong that when it crashed into me, the sheer force shattered the front of the store next to me as brick and mortar flew out into the street with a massive dust cloud that obscured my form.

He thinks he got me. But he was wrong.

This guy was strong. And if anything, I think this is an emergency situation.

It was time to use it.

The dust cleared and I heard the stranger slightly gasp in surprise when he saw I blocked his strike, but that wasn't all that had happened.

I had donned my Shadow Skin.

My now black sclerae, glowing white iris eyes stared back at the stranger as my own sword was raised to the side, blocking his own but still forcing my own blade into my now armored hide.

"What's wrong..?" I called out in a hollow, echoing voice, "Didn't think I could stop your blade?"

The Dragon Man pulled back quickly, but I wasn't going to let him escape so easily. Since he was trying to dodge backwards, that left him wide open for me. So I lashed out my sword from below in an upwards slash, unleashing a wave of black Aura outlined in white that crashed into the stranger.

My Aura Wave attack, Devouring Light, tore through the street while taking the man with it, crashing into an empty store a few meters ahead and creating a decently sized explosion.

He shouldn't be getting up from that. In fact, I think it completely destroyed-

"Wow… That was pretty scary."

Are you serious?!

"I better deal with you while I'm still able to." I heard him call out as the dust settled, seeing that I only slightly damaged his right arm that held his sword and burnt away a part of his cloak's sleeve to reveal a burnt, pale hand,"This might get troublesome otherwise."

I tried ignoring his words, attempting to understand what exactly was going on.

Technically, it's impossible to simply block a Devouring Light while I'm Shadow Skinned and take little damage, especially since Devouring Light used in tandem with Shadow Skin seriously juices up the attack more than it does normally without it.

Damn… I keep forgetting I'm not as strong as I used to be when I had my old powers. Of course my abilities are going to weaker than they are usually since they're new powers and abilities…

But to think they're this weak…

No, it's not entirely because my powers are too weak. It may just be that he's too strong. That...and maybe because he isn't human or Faunus…

Are there other beings besides humanity and Faunus on Remnant?

"I'm quite surprised that you withstood my strike, there's been only a few who could actually do that. I guess I'll have to pick up the pace a bit if I'm going to beat you."

Without another word, I found myself under rapid assault from the stranger as he struck at me relentlessly, forcing me on the defensive as he constantly made me quickly step back. He struck and struck and struck at me as I lost ground continuously, even with my Shadow Skin still on.

"That's an impressive sword you have there! I feel as though my could break at any moment if I keep striking it against yours!"

Glass, trees, anything caught around us as we moved up and down the block was instantly torn to shreds by our strikes, splinters and shards moving around or past us slowly enough that one would think them snowflakes.

One wouldn't think to guess we were moving so quickly that time almost slowed down around us.

I had to end this soon…

Finally managing a strike in between my constant state of defense, I swung hard enough to send the Dragon Masked man far back enough to give me space, only to dodge another stab of his followed by a horizontal slash.

Avoiding the slash, I backflipped onto a lamppost nearby, only for the Dragon Man to cut through it like butter, leaving a heated slash in the metal as the post fell. He wasted no time by kicking the post I still crouched on, sending both me and it high into the sky.

Letting go, I kicked off the post with enough strength to make it a deadly spear that would have pierced my opponent had he not moved, so instead, my makeshift spear embedded itself into the concrete sidewalk below.

I was now at a disadvantage, something my opponent made abundantly clear as he swung at me sideways and sent me soaring despite blocking his attack.

I was insensitive to pain, so I only felt slight tingles across my entire body as I crashed through a building. When I was finished being sent through the structure, I flipped once in the air to reorient myself to the ground, my feet touching the ground as I skidded backwards on my heels, both my armored claws and sword digging into the ground of the new street to slow myself down to a halt.

This was getting out of hand… All I wanted was soda and milk. On the plus side, I met and talked with a girl. Downside is that I'm being attacked by this bastard…

I looked around quickly and noticed it was a bit brighter outside, then saw rays of sunlight beginning to touch over the city.

It must have been around 5 am if it's getting light outside. And I left Beacon at 4.

…

Wait, that presence…

I turned my head in the direction of the eerie and overwhelming presence I felt behind me, seeing the last person I expected to see tonight.

Niro fucking Ezdeil.

I was staring at him and he was tearing right back at me. But I am Shadow Skinned, so he shouldn't recognize me.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked lowly.

Crap…

"U-Um… You must have me confused for someone else…" I replied.

"Assuming that level of senseless ignorance of others can get you killed, Dante…"

Damn it, he knows it's me!

I heard the crunching of glass and turned my head to the front, watching the Dragon Masked man emerged from the gap in the building he forced me through, stopping just a few feet away from myself and Niro.

"You two on a date?" Asked Niro, glancing between us.

"Honestly man, I just went out to buy milk and soda when this guy came out of nowhere..."

Which is basically the truth of the matter.

"Hello there!" said the stranger rather cheerfully as he waved to Niro.

With that, I heard the crunching of Niro's boots as he began walking, "You two have fun. I hear ferry rides are quite romantic at these early hours of the morning."

That jerk..!

"W-Wait, you're just leaving?!" I said attempted to get his attention, maybe have him grow a heart so that he might help me.

"Not my problem."

Ciel was right. He's a real douche.

"Thanks a lot you jerk!"

"Well, well…" said the stranger as he looked back to me, "He's certainly a strange fellow."

"I'm not the one cosplaying a dead lizard in the middle of Vale." Said Niro as his voice carried over to us while walking away from us.

All I heard the Dragon Masked man do was laugh heartily at the insult.

Great, there goes my chance of ending this quickly…

"Alright then. We're done for now."

…

What now?

"Y-You can't be serious!" I said standing back up, "You attack me out of the blue and just go when you feel like it?!"

"I've had my fill for the day is all." He said sheathing his sword back within his cloak, "So I'm retiring from the fight."

Despite him turning around and walking away, I still kept my eyes trained on him, just in case his walking away was a feint in preparation for a sneak attack. But...I couldn't help but feel maybe he was saying at it was.

The fight was done for now.

"You're strong. There's no question about it. But you've got a ways to go still."

He was right. I knew he was. Unlike now, I'm not as arrogant or ignorant as I used to be. I'm weaker than what I was previously. But until now, I don't think I ever truly recognized realized the reality of it. Being weak.

If I'm going to take on whatever the hell is on this World, I'm going to need to get stronger. Keeping practicing, keep training, keep learning new abilities and tricks. I'll need to do all these and more. And luckily...I'm going to an Academy just to do that.

"Don't expect this to be the end." He said stopping momentarily, "You've piqued my interest, my curiosity. That's something rarely anyone can do. Because of that, I'll be seeing more of you, and you'll be seeing more of me. Bye bye now." The stranger said with a wave before turning a corner.

With him out of sight, I finally relaxed my guard and let my weapon dematerialize before quickly walking into an alleyway nearby. My Shadow Skin quickly turned into black Aura and dissolved from my person, small wisps of black emerging from my body as my armored form quickly vanished.

"Hell of a Friday morning walk…" I breathed out as I looked back from where I came.

"I'll say."

My head jolted towards the voice of Elisia as I saw her standing in front of me, an eyebrow raised in unison with that sly smile of hers as she raised up my grocery bags I handed her earlier.

"You saw everything, didn't you?" I asked simply.

"Yup."

I only let out a sigh as I walked towards her and took back my bags, following her out of the alleyway.

"That cosplayer was totally kicking your ass."

"You wish." I told her as she giggled at my response.

* * *

Once Elisia and I cleared out of the area, we were on approach to the airship docks once again the same way we were before; her clinging to me tightly.

"Any particular reason for this arrangement?" I asked her.

"My maiden-esque hear was set aflutter earlier with such a fighting taking place not too far from me! My legs would give out if I let go of my brave hero!"

Part of me thinks she's just messing with me for the sake of a joke.

The other part…

"Yeah yeah…"

"What, don't believe me?" She asked with her sly smile.

"Don't know. You're too tricky to simply read on a first encounter."

"Hmmm… Are you subtly trying to say we should meet up again?"

"That's not-"

"Monday at 3pm. Be at the airdocks and we'll see where we go from there."

Is she forcefully setting up a date?

I snapped out of my thought as I realized we reached the airdocks, the two of us staring at the ships beginning to dock for the early morning transport.

"What makes you think I'll show?" I asked her.

"Because…" she said placing her index finger on my lips as she leaned in close, "I can tell you're the kind of guy who would never stand up a girl."

…

We've only just me and she now knows more about me than I do her. Brilliant.

"So..." she said letting me go and skipping a few feet forward, "I'll see you then. And maybe if lucky enough, before then."

Hahaha… Lucky enough she says… For who exactly?

"Sure, I guess."

She only giggled to my response before walking up to me once more. What else could she possibly-?

Moving quickly to my side, I felt her place her lips against my cheek to give me a decently long kiss before she drew back, smiling at me before giving me a wave goodbye and heading inside one the ships.

I moved my hand and touched the cheek she kissed, letting it sit there for a few moments before I let out a sigh.

"Honestly… That girl…"

I watched the ship take off, moving quickly towards the other parts of Vale with the morning rays of sunlight following at the back of the ship.

Still… She was pretty interesting. Now that I think about it, she could have easily taken care of those guys in the alley by herself without a problem. Maybe she let me handle them to see what I was made of? I don't know anymore with her…

Anyway, I have to get back. Ciel and Leo are going to be up, Inuba may be up by the time I get back, and…

…

I just had a sudden realization.

My car was parked all the way opposite of where I was currently…

…

Damn it...

* * *

 **Boy oh boy! New characters! Both of which are important to the story. So you'll be seeing a lot of them in the future. As for the Dragon Masked man, I always imagined him having the voice of the sly and amazing Gin Ichimaru. It just fits perfectly in my opinion. I only wanted to say that, so with that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Of Mothers and Phantoms**

«»

(Kareina POV)

I let out a deep sigh after taking a sip of my morning tea, my breath visible in the chilly morning air. We did practically live at the top of the tower, and it was the fall season. It wasn't a wonder as to why it was getting cold. But it made no difference to me. The sharp chill of the early morning was something I could ignore due to the thin heat barrier we kitsune can produce to keep ourselves, and others we touch, warm.

It was a very useful ability for when we traveled into low temperature environments, or facing foes who made use of abilities.

Users of ice magic were always fun for me to battle against.

Sadly though, my roles today aren't as heavily involved with battle anymore as they used to be. Now, I'm more focused on the role of healing others' injuries, wounds, illnesses, and more. That, and also the role of a mother of four. Well, seven if one were to count Dante and his siblings Ciel and Leonard.

Speaking of which, I should be getting a call from them tomorrow regarding their well being at Beacon Academy. It was one of our conditions persay. They call me once a week on the weekend, and I needn't travel down to Vale and the Academy to embarrass them, including my own daughter Inuba.

I used to do the exact same with Akihito, Inuba's older brother, and Asahi, her older sister. The easiest to embarrass by far is Inuba. Asahi is a bit more difficult in such circumstances, but not impossible. As for Akihito, he's fairly difficult to embarrass, but like Asahi, not impossible. Mai, the youngest of our four children, has no need for such methods. Yet. Still, I must treasure my little Mai as best as possible until she grows older.

Speaking of which...I do wonder how my other children are doing as of now…

When I came to Remnant, it was only with Dante and Inuba in tow. And that was after we rescued young Dante from his fall into the outer reaches of Creation, never to be seen again. Hence was his unjust punishment handed to him from The Plane of Angels. They present themselves as righteous and performing their work for the good of all, but that's not always the case. The Council that commands The Plane are, by our own examinations and interactions, corrupt. Those that follow or a commanded by them are not, or for the very least, not as corrupt.

And so, due to their fear of Dante potentially regaining enough power, after sacrificing it, and him using said power to one day overthrow them, their final judgment after the events that transpired on Primordial, our home World, was to banish him.

The situation was...ironically amusing, really. They asked young Dante to slay a rogue Angel of The Trinity, who unearthed a relic and used it to ascend his power to like that of a god, and when he did so, and undid all the evil, misery and wrong this Angel had done, he was punished for it severely.

There's a reason why creatures or spirits of the magical persuasion aren't glad to have interactions with Angels, like how Dark Entities are. Such cases like with Dante are especially one of the reasons why we of The Apparition World, a dimensional homeworld for all yōkai within Primordial, are hesitant to have interactions with them.

It's one of the reasons why I can't see my other children, since they stayed behind. If they knew young Dante was still within the boundaries of Creation, they would smite this world just out of spite for him.

Traveling back and forth isn't so simple as it used to be for two reasons. One being that the Passages leading to other Worlds, or what's left of them, are heavily monitored nowadays by The Plane. Reason two is that the vast majority of the Passages were destroyed when Dante killed the rogue Angel, making travel between Worlds extremely difficult.

And so we must remain here and do our best not to draw outside attention. Hence why I came here with my daughter and young Dante.

Should trouble arise...I should be more than able to deal with such a situation quickly if necessary.

Though...besides concern for my children, Dante and siblings included, I do wonder about my dear husband.

Where have you gone? What are you doing or are involved in that has kept you from us for these past five years? We all miss you dearly…

I let out another sigh as I stood up with my cup of tea and walked towards the open sliding doors leading to the outside, and moved towards the back viewing area that overlooked the entire region. Down below, I could see the entirety of the village at the base of the mountain which I decided to place under my protection using my barrier magic. It feeds off the energy of the sun to keep itself sustained without drawing on my Aura, enough so that it's become self sustaining. Permanent so to speak unless someone or something far more powerful than I breaks the barrier.

Though so far, there is none who can do so, save for my daughter.

Instead of sitting inside all day, my plan is to go into town and pick up some more groceries for the week. That and to see if there are any who require any medical assistance. I do run a free clinic of sorts here in the estate.

* * *

"Good morning Lady Kitsukami."

"Good morning to you." I said to the passerby who greeted me.

It would seem I've become quite popular within this village. At first, from what I heard, there were rumors of some mystical being, hello, that's me, living up in an estate in the mountains. When people did have the courage to work their way up to the estate, I welcomed them warmly with tea and food and the like.

Before we came here, this village had its own difficulties, particularly with illness since medicine is expensive. So instead, I offered to cure them without monetary charge. A favor or two here and there for when I needed them, food and other necessities, but nothing more. Favors for favors really.

"Ah! Lady Kitsukami! What can I do for you this morning?" asked the woman at the vegetable stand.

"Well, I would like some potatoes if you don't mind. I'm making a potato and beef stew, and since I already have the meat, I stopped by to get the last group of ingredients on my list. Are they fresh?"

"Picked them from the field just this morning. How many would like?"

"Six if you would please."

One was fairly large on its own. Six potatoes to make a complete stew would be more than enough with how they had to be chopped.

"I can't thank you enough for three days ago lady Kitsukami. Going elsewhere would have been treacherous. We're incredibly glad that you were here to help my son."

"Oh, think nothing of it. It's the least I could do. Besides, we mothers must stick together and help one another, yes?"

"Of course." She said handing me my bag of potatoes, "I hope your stew comes out nicely. Maybe I could borrow your recipe one time?"

"Sorry, but I'll have to keep my cooking recipes secret."

"That's alright then. At least bring some into the town whenever you can sometime."

"Of course." I replied with a smile before giving her a bow.

She waved goodbye to me before I took off. Though, before I moved to return home, I saw a rather curious sight.

There was a young girl in a white cloak and sandals with balayage blonde hair that reached her shoulders, and had fair skin. She had grey colored irises, with a general facial expression that presented herself as stoic at best, almost emotionless. Though, with how she was moving about examining everything she came into contact with, there was most certainly something strange about her.

She had this look of curiosity about her, like a child eager to explore everything around her. It was almost amusing seeing her react differently to everything she was examining. Flowers, cutlery, people and shops… She was moving about the place with intense curiosity that made me think of my own children when they were younger.

This in turn made me curious. Surely she couldn't have been normal. So I focused my eyes upon her, examining her and seeing that what she had was...strange. Her body was strange in that energy was flowing through it, but it wasn't Aura. In fact, the Aura I did manage to detect within her was minuscule a best, too little to be considered that of a Human or Faunus' Aura.

Just what might you be young one?

"Look out!"

My head quickly shifted towards the sound of distress, seeing that a fairly large boulder had loosened itself from the upper part of the mountain. It bounced off the side while rolling and headed straight for a young girl down below. I moved my hand toward the boulder, ready to use one of my spells to destroy the boulder.

But there was no need.

The strange young girl quickly moved in under the large boulder, and simply trusted her fist into the air above her, shattering the rock instantaneously into numerous tiny and harmless pieces.

The young girl thanked her strange savior, to which she simply replied, "Your thanks is not required", and simply walked away as if nothing occurred.

You are a strange one indeed…

* * *

How interesting… Where exactly is she going? I've followed her for ten minutes now and she's moved outside the village, keeping close to the edge of the mountain. Was she looking for something?

I kept my distance away from her, given that my assumption of what she may actually be could be correct, she would be able to detect me easily. Though, with a bit of spell weaving, I was able to mask my Aura Signature as well as make myself transparent from the view of others, which made my heat signature transparent as well. Complete and total invisibility.

Oh? What's this?

A chunk of the mountain had split apart like a sliding door, allowing the young girl to enter within the cavern.

Interesting… She moved inside the cavern like the television show young Dante explained to me when I was watching it on my own and he passed me by. What was it again? Oh yes, a man of bats if I recall who ran around a city dressed as a bat and had a silly deep voice.

Though I found it odd that this girl would have a "BatCave" of her own. What could she possibly have need for it?

My curiosity was increasing by the second. I needed to get inside and find out who she was, and what was inside that cave.

I leapt from the tree branch I stood in and gently landed on the ground without a sound, walking over to where the girl disappeared in to see how I would gain admittance inside. When I placed my hand on the stone and sent out a Sensor Wave, I could feel a complex series of mechanisms hiding behind the rock.

I could very easily melt away the rock and metal to get inside, but I'd prefer a quieter approach. Let's see what I can do to open this door.

With some studying and reformatting of magic spells, I've been able to open electronic locks, as well as mechanical doors like this one. And so with a few hand signs that I formed, when I next touched the door, the white flames surrounding my hand sank into the stone. I heard a few clicking and shifting of parts until the door opened itself for me seconds later, but only a crack small enough for me to slip in through.

With that, I made a few handsigns and once more became completely transparent as I walked through the dark cave. It had some lighting thankfully, so it wasn't impossible to see in. It took some time, but I finally came upon a vastly open room and was...well...thoroughly surprised.

The room wasn't simply filled with all sorts of computers and monitors and other types of machinery, but there were different types of weapons, gadgets and gizmos of all sorts.

This person may as well be a villain like in that man of bats show.

But it isn't correct to simply assume without evidence or facts. They may just be a simple scientist with either a good or neutral standing.

If not, well, I suppose I have more cleaning to do for today…

I knew better than to touch said machinery, since some could have very well been dangerous in more than one way. So instead, I walked through them as if they were displays within a museum, impressed with some designs, yet confused with some others.

I must give this person credit for their originality, but still, many of these were odd. But something else had caught my eye currently.

A massive, vault-like door.

Surely there wasn't anything nefarious behind it…

…

I had to know.

My transparency spell deactivated itself when I approached. Unfortunately, I cannot keep up a transparency spell while performing another spell. But that's only in the case of the transparency spell. Others I could perform simultaneously while performing the other.

As I performed the handsigns for my unlocking spell, I slowly moved my hand towards the vault door. But before I could even touch it, I had found that a hand had passed through said arm.

At least, the arm of my flame clone.

I stood behind the strange girl from before as my clone turned into a small burst of white flame before disappearing shortly after.

"Now now, no need for hasty actions so soon. Tell me… who are you and what is it that you are hiding behind that door?"

"You need to leave." she spoke with a hostile tone in her voice as a red hue overtook the original grey in her eyes.

The girl also slowly adopted a more defensive stance when she turned to face me fully. A wise decision if I had any real intention to attack.

"Oh dear… But I only just arrived here. I can't simply leave without finding out what's behind the door." I calmly spoke as I walked towards her and the door.

"You should mind your own business, then," Sentry turrets suddenly protruded out of the stone wall adjacent to the vault door, four high powered machine guns all pointed at me and ready to fire within a moment's notice.

"I will not ask you a second time."

"Well… Since you are so kind enough to insist…"

I extended my palm towards the first turret and swiped my hand across my body, watching the turret's barrels quickly melt, molten metal dripping to the floor.

"I should warn you that I shouldn't be taken lightly. So I would propose that you stand down for the moment and let me pass."

It was a fair warning.

"I take anyone that steps on these grounds without permission as an absolute threat, as the caretaker of this place, it is my duty to protect it at all costs. So if you will not leave of your own accord, I will make you leave by any means necessary." The girl replied evenly.

"Young girl, are you quite sure you have the means to force me out? After all…" I moved forward with blinding speed and spun around the young girl, placing the index finger of my right hand to the back of her head, "A careless error in your calculations could prove fatal."

A FoxFire Piercer would be more than enough. Though, I'd rather avoid that until I'm certain of what remains behind the vault door.

"You come to my home and threaten me, and yet you act like I'm the one instigating a fight."

"My dear, I'm avoiding hostilities as much as possible. After all, you could very well be working with someone that has a nefarious agenda. And if that were the case...well, I can't simply leave things be. So, I'd prefer that you show me what's behind that door for safety reasons. And if there is nothing of an insidious nature hidden behind the door, then I'll leave you be. Fair, yes?"

The girl turned to face me, blinking once before she spoke, "Who are you to judge what is nefarious and what isn't? Just because you see a locked door, doesn't mean you're obligated to find out what's inside it. If you must know, it's a research facility, but those are all the details I'm allowed to discuss."

"The weapons lying around tell me otherwise to some varying degrees."

"Prototypes, for killing Grimm. If you have to know. Half of them don't work and those that do are practically deemed to be useless against anything other than a juvenile Beowulf."

"Oh? If that's the case then, perhaps you would be kind as to show me footage of something that does work on one of these so called monitors. It'll be our little secret."

The girl tilted her head slightly, "Will you leave if I do?"

"More than likely yes if your claims are accurate."

With a click of her fingers, the largest monitor displayed a paused video of one of the weapons attached to a remotely operated frame, when the video began to play, it showed the weapon charging up to fire, before a sudden failure occurred and an explosion overtook the screen, leaving nothing but static.

"Will you go away now?"

Hmmmm… I suppose I can keep surveillance of my own means and methods in the event I was lied to… Though, she doesn't seem to be lying to me… Four, technically five, children over the years has been most helpful in sharpening my skills. Then what could be her reason for wanting me to leave so quickly?

I looked down to the hand she had kept hidden from me earlier and still was not able to see why she was hiding it. Though I was able to notice some faint twitching. A few taps of my finger to the back of her skull told me all I needed to confirm my earlier hypothesis.

She was most certainly not human, that much I was certain of now. Maybe if I ask her…

"I don't suppose you would mind telling me what you are?"

"I… don't know what you're talking… about..."

She leaned back towards me, about ready to collapse had I not caught her. What to do about this I wonder… Ah!

My hand lit ablaze with white flame as I forced it to burn more intensely and compact its form to take on electric-like properties. When I placed my hand on her back, the currents of electricity sank into the young girl's body, and her eyes jolted open.

"Welcome back young one. How was your rest?"

The girl slowly stood and faced me directly, blinking a couple of times.

"How did you know that would work?" she questioned.

"Oh, we've had a mechanical friend of our own once. Though sadly, he and a few others weren't able to join us."

"So, I guess there's not much point in hiding it… But make no mistake, I'm not a robot, and this isn't my body. However, since I'm left with no other options but to open the vault to recharge it, I guess you win. Follow me."

As she finished speaking, a low hydraulic groan resonated throughout the cave as the large vault door opened before us.

When the seal was broken and the door lifted, all that was presented was a glossy white room that contained nothing but a glass elevator.

Well… I was expecting… more to be quite honest.

"Quite a bit of a show to seal up an elevator…"

"It's not the elevator that I'm protecting. It's where it leads that's important. Please step inside at your convenience." She replied as she entered, gesturing to the free space beside her.

"Oh, don't mind if I do." I replied stepping inside with her.

As the elevator doors slid closed behind us, the giant vault door slowly lowered back into its locked position just as the elevator began to descend.

For a few moments, the elevator was surrounded by nothing but rock as it quickly picked up speed, subsiding into the subterranean layers of the planet.

"What you're about to see is something that we've been working on for 6 years, the one who built this place, and myself, has cultivated it using his bare hands from nothing but a dull cavern into this."

As she finished speaking, the elevator was suddenly exposed to a wide cave system. And suspended in the middle of it was a facility that spanned as far as the eye could see.

"He calls it 'The Vault', not a very original name, but it fits."

"I can see why… But still, what sort of secrets do you hold that they must be kept so far beneath ground?"

"Experimental technology and sciences that the current 'modern society' has a tendency to frown upon, and things that if grasped at by the wrong hands would result in devastation across all four kingdoms," the cloaked girl replied, "it's to keep the people safe, but no compromises are made to the scientific progression."

"'A typical Monday at the office', as one of my young ones would say." Young Dante was very casual when it came to scenarios of destruction, "In the very least, this installation isn't in place for nefarious means, which I'm grateful for, mind you."

"That's debatable. Not a lot of people would approve of the work we do here."

"True as that may be, I do believe not everyone is properly equipped to make an accurate or educated statement. Though, if some of your methods are unsavory, I would encourage you to change such methods."

"Then you can take that up with the one who runs this place. I only follow orders." The girl responded evenly.

Apparently you do…

"And who may be your maker then that charged you with protecting this place?"

"I believe your daughter and her partner have already met him."

"Oh? A student at Beacon Academy made you and this place?" It would seem young Dante might have finally found an equally competent mind when it comes to the sciences.

"He is no more a student than I am a glorified calculator. He's there for other reasons, but yes."

"What might be this young man's name?"

"Ray Chroma."

…

I see…

"Ah yes, Mr. Chroma..." I said with a silent giggle in my voice, "He and I will have words when next he is within the area."

"Whenever he comes home, that is…" the girl murmured.

"Oh? Does he not come home often?"

"Only when he isn't busy."

"Hmmm… It seems that I'll have to ask young Dante to bring home his friends next time."

The elevator then began to slow its descent, finally approaching its destination.

When it came to a complete stop, the doors opened to reveal a long, stark white hallway, glass windows lining the entire left side of the corridor.

Populating this area however, were various duplicates of the girl standing next to me. They must have been different bodies she controlled through some sort of...network as I recall? I'm not quite caught up with the technological jargon of this day and age.

As much as I could see, all of them were workers, moving about crates, machinery, and tools here and there in more convenient locations.

Considering she went through all this effort to bring me down here, and hasn't specifically attacked me, I suppose I can trust that nothing malicious or nefarious was occurring here down below. If anything, this reminded me of a film I watched with the children some time ago involving a man of iron.

Either way, she did seem trustworthy and wouldn't have reason to lie to me. So instead…

"Well… it does appear all is well and good. For the most part at least."

"It's not usually this busy, but there's maintenance downstairs that needs seeing to, so as you can see, I'm rather occupied."

"Well… The other… you's are occupied at least. So, why don't you come back up with me for now? I could use some assistance and have some company in the meantime. It does get a bit lonely here on the mountain."

The girl turned her head to face me with a inquisitive look.

"You're by yourself? Interesting." She commented, seemingly unconcerned.

"Sadly so. My young ones have gone to Beacon, leaving me by my lonesome. And since you're here by your lonesome as well, you and I should make well do with one another."

"I'm an artificial intelligence connected to virtually every network on the planet, I'm hardly alone." The girl corrected.

"I don't quite understand the specifics of your… functions…" I said waving my hand in circular motions in front of her, "But that doesn't quite change the fact you are, in one way or another, by yourself. Even if you are connected to some sort of fancy network or have numerous bodies to spread your consciousness through. That being said, what might your name be?"

"My designation is GHOST. Though it's an acronym for the core protocols that my personality is built upon."

This is a bit… confusing still…

"No matter. Ghost you shall be then. Like the direwolf from the television show young Dante keeps pressing for me to watch. I believe it had something to do with thrones… Either way, we will save that for another time. Now, which one of you can I bring with me seeing as you're almost out of energy again…" I said looking around.

A panel in the wall opened and out came another duplicate, though this one was virtually no different than the one standing next to me, except the fact that this one was fully charged, of course.

"You can take this one," she spoke neutrally as she bowed her head, "the one next to you needs repairs."

"Excellent. Now then, let us depart at once! We have work to do!" I said with excitement in my tone whilst dragging off my new "friend".

"Define 'work', if you will." Ghost requested politely.

"Are you able to make a beef and potato stew?"

"I know how to cook, yes." She replied.

I giggled to myself silently before saying "Then this will be all the more fun!"

* * *

 **A little short, sweet, and simple this week, but this is a scene HydraFlow and I wanted to work on for a good while between his character GHOST, and mine, Kareina, Inuba's mother. And here we have their intro! If you recall from an earlier chapter, Ray Chroma (he and his team RGDS belonging to HydraFlow as well) told Dante to keep a certain someone out of his vault. That's where it came from if you didn't know.**

 **So yeah, done and over.**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Of Reapers and Scales**

«»

 **(Ciel POV)**

I let out an audible, exhausted sigh and slammed my head on my desk table, and let myself lay there for a few moments in excruciating...mental...agony.

Homework for hours… HOURS!

"One hour in and you're giving up so soon, Ciel?" Smirked my stupid brother from his stupid desk with stupidly gained confidence at my overwhelming despair.

"Shut up… I've been staring at paper for so long these last few days…" Just mentioning paper made me feel queasy, "I don't want to hear anything about paper for a while now…"

"Oh dear… I do hope I have more than enough paper to finish my paper written assignments…" Leo spoke in a mischievous tone while keeping his grin, "If not, I might have to go out and buy a few more packs of paper and put them out."

"You looking to get your ass kicked..?"

You might not expect it from Leo given how he usually is, but he can be surprisingly mischievous.

In my case, annoyingly sadistic…

"Who's kicking whose ass again? Remind me."

"Don't get full of yourself!" I said standing up and pointing at him, "We're still neck and and neck as is! And even though I have a problem with sitting around too long and not really being a fan of academics, I'm dealing with it pretty well!"

I stood up from my desk and grabbed my black dress vest with the two long coattails that reached the back of my knees and buttoned it on over my sleeveless white blouse. I checked my pleated black skirt to make sure everything was all good before moving to my bed and grabbing my black knee high boots with the white zippers and zipped them up, stomping my feet on the ground twice before standing up and posing in the mirror a few times.

Oh yeah. I look awesome.

More importantly…

"Prepare thy anoose Leo!" I said stopping at the door and spinning around to point at him, "I don't care how long it takes, but I am going to do better than you in academics! Your ass is mine!"

"I'm soooooo terrified…" he said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.

Smug bastard…

"Where'd Foxy and big brother go?" I asked, noticing that they stepped out a while ago.

"They went to see the remake of 'IT'. Though they do enjoy movies, ms. Kitsukami isn't a big fan of horror films."

Ohoho! This might be your chance Foxy! A little timidness when enetering the theater, and when something gory or scary happens...pow! Total opportunity to cling onto him with pure, genuine, maiden-like feelings of fear! And then...staring deeply into one a others eyes...they slowly lean in and...and-!

"If you're done having pervetered thoughts, I suggest you go and go whatever it is you intended to do with your break."

"Oh just shove it…" I said waving him off as I left through the door.

Man… Leo can be such a pain to deal with at times…

Alright...I'm just gonna hit the cafeteria and grab something to eat. Then just go blow off steam at the practice arena. Maybe I could find some poor soul to be my sparring partner and tape a picture of Leo's face to them…

Ah, who am I kidding… I'm not that mean.

Unless you piss me off of course. Which is something no one wants. Not even the glorious, almighty Ezdouche would like me when I'm angry…

Still though, who could I have as a sparring partner?

Oh! Maybe that Nora Valkyrie chick! She looks ready and able to kick ass at any time. That, and it might be time to actually start getting along with other people and getting to know them.

"Socialization is a key component of making connections with others!" is something my big brother would say.

Alright, let's make some new friends.

"Ahahaha! What's this?!"

What's this? There's skanks somewhere in the air! Or harpies. Whichever floats your goat. Or-

…

You know, I'm not going to further with that thought.

Okay… What goes on in the halls of Beacon Academy today..?

I mean, you get your typical school-life nonsense here and there. But some people just don't know where the line is at times. Like these bitchzillas up ahead.

"You think this is cute? It's totally trash!"

Instead of knocking heads together, I hung back around the corner and glanced over it slightly to see three girls laughing and snickering, while the other, the fourth, was struggling to get something back. But the other two were keeping her back.

Typical… Three humans and one Faunus girl, a cute bunny rabbit no less! Ugh! So mean...

Sometimes I'm actually glad that I'm not technically categorized as a human…

Seriously though, what's up with people picking on that cute Velvet girl? First it's Douchrooster Cardin and his posse of wastes of skin. Now these skanks?

I let out out a silent sigh of frustration before I rounded the corner to walk up to the group, one of them which pushed our cute little bunny rabbit towards the wall while she and her two other gremlin-looking friends continued laughing.

Hold on...is that..?

…

Yeah, I don't know her. All I know is what I could see. Long brown hair, sparkly brown eyes, and cute bunny ears that were folded against her head.

Wah… I'm getting heart palpitations just from seeing how cute she is…

Oh yeah, people to deal with. Fantasies later.

"Yo, what's going on here?" I asked approaching them smiling.

"Just having a bit of fun. You?" Asked the ringleader while one of her friends took a picture of the frightened Faunus girl.

Fun huh..?

"Hey, let me see that!" I asked while forcing my smile.

The girl who used her Scroll as the camera easily handed it over to me as I looked over the picture myself, where that girl had doodle over it with god knows how many indecent things.

"Nice…"

That was all I said while they gave me accepting glances and laughs.

That was before I clapped my hands together and crushed the girls Scroll to dust and sparks.

Looks of pure shock and disbelief came my way while I raised up my hand and blew the dust remains of their Scroll in their face, making them take a few steps back.

"H-Hey! What the hell?!"

"Yeah! Who do you think you are, bitch?"

Bringing out the big guns? My favorite.

"I'm the one who knocks, bitch." I replied in a colder tone than my usual while taking slow steps towards them, glaring at the group of three the entire time, "Though technically, I shouldn't call any of you three bitches, since you'd have to actually be smart to be a bitch. And trust me, none of you three are even remotely close to being smart."

One of them looked to move right at me, but I raised my hand up to stop her.

"Helpful hint for you gremlin looking skanks. If I just crushed your Scroll like it was nothing but a rice cracker, what do you think will happen if I get my hands on you?"

That made her stop.

"So you get it. Good. Here's another thing…" I said stopping before them, my form just a few inches shorter than they were, "Mess with this one again, and I'll break more than just your Scrolls. Got it?"

It was then they backed away slowly before dropping whatever it is they took from our lovely bunny maiden and ran for it.

I towards it and picked it up, seeing it was a cute bunny charm with a string on it.

I kinda want one too… But I had to give this one back.

"Here you are…" I said lending my hand to bring her up, making me notice she was taller than me.

I let out a silent sigh when I saw she was taller than me. Height is pretty much the only thing I'm just jealous about. Overall figure? Lean, mean, and nicely curved. My ass? Very desirable if I do say so myself. My boobs? Not as big as Foxy's, who's basically cup size E now, but I'm sitting comfortably at D now since last month. Hips? Absolutely delicious.

Overall, I am one fantastic looking gal if I do say so myself. I mean, so does basically everyone else, but that's not important now.

My jealousy of height is something to focus on another time. Right now, I have a cute bunny rabbit to talk and tend to.

"All good? Or do you need me to carry your loveliness to your next class? Or room?" I asked with a bow.

She raised a hand to her face and chuckled at my attempt at humor, my small self looking up to see her cute bunny ears perk up.

"No, I'm...quite fine. Thank you for your help."

"Seriously now, why do people have to go and pick on a cute thing like yourself?" I asked while noticing her jump a bit, "Say something they didn't like, or..?"

"No, nothing like that… It just...happens I guess…"

Man…

People can be assholes for no reason.

"You're Ciel, right?"

Woah! She knows my name?!

"Um…"

I don't know what to say here… Does she know me because of good things or bad things?

I swear Santa, I've been nice and very rarely naughty this year.

Okay, that's a bit of lie. Unless he counts harmless pranks.

"Maybe..?" I meekly said holding my hands behind my back.

"Ah, so I was right! You were on scene after they defeated the Hydra and killed that pack of Beowolves about to attack the group of evacuees."

Oh yeah! I almost forgot! Little ms. Rabbit was helping lead away some of the students when a pack almost pounced them. Thankfully I was there to handle them in one sweep.

"Well…you know, happy to help. And stuff." But my daring heroics aren't what's important at the moment, "Do you get picked on a lot?" I asked getting straight to it.

"Unfortunately…" she said with her cute bunny ears drooping a bit.

"Don't think about it all too much. They're just a bunch of ignorant jerks." I comforted, "They got a problem with you, find me and I'll sort 'em out!"

She giggled at my statement as I posed, saying "Thank you. I'll make sure to do that. You...must be really strong if you can crush a Scroll so easily. Into powder no less…"

"Hehehe… Well, I'm just a really tough cookie is all. So I don't forget, what's your name?"

"Oh... I'm Velvet. Velvet Scarletina."

"You already know who I am, so… Yeah. Despite running into real jerks, it was nice to actually meet you. See ya around."

"See you too." She said as we waved goodbye to each other before moving off in opposite directions.

She's really nice. I mean, come on, why do people need to pick on the nice ones so much? It's just dumb. And pointless. I mean, my brother and I pick on each other a lot, but we do it for shits and giggles and at least and have fun with it.

Seriously humanity, get your shit together concerning the Faunus. It's getting real old.

* * *

It didn't take long to get to the training range, where a few students were testing out their weapons, practicing their aim, or just duking it out with one another.

One thing I do love besides my brothers and pretzel bread is good old fashioned fighting. An excellent way to get the blood pumping and going. And hey, a good workout too.

There were a few faces I recognized here and there, just some people that said "hi" and "hello" in the hallway and the like.

…

Now that I think about it, Leo and I don't have actual friends, do we? I mean, we're working on ELAA, Ezdouche's team, but Leo and I have yet to meet any of them. Except he who shall not be blabbered about, but that doesn't really count, does it?

Still...making ACTUAL friends isn't exactly the easiest thing in the whole wide world. It isn't as simple as just walking up and introducing yourself anymore. You kinda have to build up a relationship a bit, gain trust between each other and all that. Hardest part is making friends with someone who has a few or a lot of differences with you. Not easy, but not impossible.

I let out a sigh before I found a wide, empty booth for a practice target range. I may not exactly have anything projectile-like, but my weapon can extend up to fifteen meters. Might as well practice my precision.

Extending my hand, white and black Aura formed in my hands, taking on the shape of a scythe. My scythe's blade was colored white and was five feet long, having a half circle notch on the sharp edge curve of the blade near where it was attached to the pole. From the point where the blade emerged, it emerged from the mouth of a black human looking skull at the top end of the pole. And from where the skull was located, the pole adorned a small black rib cage.

The long pole of my scythe resembled that of a skeleton's spine that was slightly curved where the rib cage was located, also colored black, the pole ending in a lower backbone, the ligaments between each segment colored a pure white. My scythe overall stood two feet taller than me, about seven feet last I checked.

…

Damn… I just realized my own weapon is taller than me…

Time to work out some frustration I guess.

I took a firm hold of my sycthe with both hands and slightly straightened the curve of the pole to activate its alternate form. The scythe's blade shifted to the top of the pole, taking on the form of a spear slightly.

My hands shifted lower towards the end of the pole near the backbone-like end while holding it horizontally in front of me, point of my weapon aimed right at the target…

If there was one in front of me.

Son of a… I forgot to hit start…

I quickly smashed the button off to my side, noticing that the difficulty was set to "Master". Whoever set it to Master must be really good… Or just has misplaced expectations.

My head spun towards the range when hearing the counter hit "Five" and I lowered myself slightly to keep an even and balanced stance. As soon as it hit zero, I was off faster than a lightning bolt using maniac and thrusted my scythe-spear forward with blinding speed, hitting my first target as soon as it popped up.

The targets kept coming up one after another, and I coinitued thrusting my weapon forward as it extended and contracted accordingly to the different distances and angles of the targets popping up one after another.

Who needs guns when you have a weapon like mine?

I chuckled at the impressed awes of everyone passing by as I continued moving my arm faster than what mot could be able to track, my weapon continuously hitting its targets and not missing a single one. The program began increasing the variation between locations, distances, and number of targets popping up at once. I just kept adapting to the numerous variations and kept blowing apart my targets with my furiously fast stabs, not breaking a sweat in the slightest.

Technically, I could use my Semblance to sort of stop time in increments of seconds and take my time.

But that'd be cheating. After all, I'm all natural baby!

The final row of targets popped up and I thrusted my weapon forwards a final time as it penetrated the entire row of targets in one, quick, precise stab. After that was said and done, I made my weapon contract and revert into its scythe form and propped it upright, looking up at the monitor a good distance away to see…

"Hell yeah! Perfect score!"

I slightly jumped when I heard the cheer of the large group of students that gathered behind me. I mean holy crap, there was a lot of them.

Meh… I'll roll with it. Flatter me more mortals! Mwahahahahahaahahaha!

* * *

A bit of talking and high fives later, I went towards one of the water coolers nearby and got myself a nice cup of cold water. I mean, I wasn't tired or anything, but hey, waters nice. Plus there was that whole speech big brother gave Leo and me a while back about blending in and acting natural and- yeah, didn't listen to that one all too much.

Point is? Act like I'm tired. I mean, no human can't be tired after doing all that. Unfortunately, I didn't work up a swear from that, so sweat was a no go. Water had to do.

"Y-You…"

Me? Hello random person who is..? Oh, there you are!

I zeroed in on the voice and saw a fellow little reaper in black and red with a nice red cloak looking at me with shock and awe, shivering almost as if I just scared the living daylights out of her.

"Um, me..?" I replied.

"You..!"

Me?!

"You broke my record..!" Was all she whined out tearfully.

Record?

I looked up at the monitor, noticing my perfect score completely overlap the previous holder of the "Master" level record.

Huh, her name is Ruby Rose…

"Using a melee weapon too! How?! Tell me your secrets!"

She literally just switched from sobbing to totally eager to learn how in the hell I managed that. But damn is she cute and adorable…

"I'm just a tough cookie is all." I said reusing my explanation for our lovely bunny rabbit from before.

"Woah..! You must be super strong if you can do something like that…"

"Heh… Yes I am…" I said proudly rubbing my knuckles against my shirt, "So were you the one who held the previous record? Ruby…" my glance moved to the screen again before moving back to the girl in front of me, "Rose?"

"Yeah…" she said with a sad sigh

"Sorry. Nothing personal or anything…"

"Well, no worries. But you have to tell me what your weapon is! I mean, it's so so cool!"

It is a cool weapon…

"It's custom made, so you're not gonna find this bad boy anywhere else out there."

"Woah! Mines custom made too! Did you make yours too?"

"Um…" That was kind of hard to answer since it's a bit...complicated, "Yeah, pretty much." I said looking over my scythe.

"No guns or any projectiles?"

"Don't need 'em. I've got a fancy trick I use for that besides just extending and contracting my weapon."

"Can you show me?"

…

I'm only showing her because she asked nicely. I-It's totally not because she's cute or anything. Nope. Not at all…

"A-Alright alright! I'll, uh, show you how it's done." I said stepping out onto the range in our section, "Alright, pop a shot at me with your...sniper...scythe thingy."

"Wha-?! I, uh… Are you sure..?"

"Yeah yeah, relax. It's part of the trick. Come on." I said gesturing for her to hurry.

With swift dexterity from cute little red, she unholstered her weapon and took aim at my center of mass.

She's definitely got that focused look about her. No wonder she was at the top of the list for the firing range. But there was also that look of hesitation in her. Which meant…

Before I could finish that thought, I saw her squeeze the trigger and fire her weapon. Just before she did pull the trigger, I raised up my hand and opened up a small rift of black and white Aura, letting Ruby's bullet pass into the void before it closed.

"Woah! What was that?!"

"That, my little red…" I said appearing, to her surprise, immediately next to her, "is a part of my Semblance. Watch."

I placed my hand on her shoulder and extended my hand forward, the rift opening in front of my palm and shooting out ten exact replicas of Ruby's absorbed bullets, the two of us watching them hit numerous bullseyes of the remaining dummies on the range.

Looking back to Ruby, I saw that adorable shining awe of hers before she placed both hands on my shoulders, saying "Will you be my friend?!"

…

I may have been wrong about saying making friends isn't so easy…

Damn...I can't believe I'm getting a bit shy like Leo does around new people…

"W-Well, lucky you then, um, person!" I awkwardly replied.

"My name is-"

"I know I know. It's Ruby. I was just messing with you a bit." I said bumping my hip against hers.

She bumped back, or at least tried to and bounced off me, and we both shared a good laugh from that.

"I heard you put a Nevermore to the chopping block during initiation. Like, total decap ready and served."

"Yeah, that was pretty cool… But whoever that guy was that took out that Hydra… He's all kinds of cool…"

"Really now?" Hey big brother, looks like you've got a fan, "You know, I actually do know him."

"You do?!"

"Yup. He's my big brother."

"No way!"

"Yes way. I'll introduce him to you next time."

"Ruby!" Said a random as they snuck up and lifted my new friend up into the air with a hug.

"Ugh..! Nora..! Can't...breath..!"

"Oh, sorry." Said the orange haired newcomer as she dropped Ruby to her feet.

"Ciel, this is my friend Nora."

"Heyo!"

"Hi..?" I said waving awkwardly.

So this is Nora. She seems...really cheery...

"By the way, someone broke your record Ruby!"

"Thanks for reminding me…"

"Who could've done that?"

All I did was clear my throat, drawing the attention of both as they saw me raising myself up using my toes.

"It was you?!"

"Totes."

"Ciel's a new students this semester like us. Most importantly, she's really really cool."

Heh… Yeah, I guess I am pretty cool…

"Are you the coolest of the cool?" Asked Nora eyeing me suspiciously as she got close to me.

"Um…" Please believe me, please believe me, please believe me, "Si señorita..?"

"Hmmm… She checks out."

Whew… I swear, she might've tired breaking my legs or something if she was convinced otherwise.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving!" Said Nora.

"Oh! And they have pancakes for breakfast too!"

"Really?!" I heard Nora ask with pure excitement on her tone.

She must really like pancakes, because holy cow, her smile is brighter than a glow stick right now.

"I can do for some pancakes. It's been a long while since I ate…"

"Breakfast?" Asked Ruby.

Oh crap. Good job tipping them off Ciel.

"Y-Yeah, kinda skipped out on breakfast. Hehehehehe…"

"That's no good! Let's get some pancakes in you!"

"Seconded!" Said Ruby as both she and Nora began dragging me off towards what I assumed to be my doom.

Just kidding. I knew they were taking me to the cafeteria.

"Which one of you here is the strongest?!"

Moi! But I'm not looking for a fight right now… So…

"Surely you lot aren't the best to offer?! Isn't there anyone else?!"

She's really uppity…

"That's her 57th victory already…" Ruby whispered as the three of us turned to look in the direction of the girl's voice ringing through the air.

"Yeah… I mean, I'm tough, but I wouldn't really want to dance with her anytime soon."

"Why not? She can't be that bad." I said to the two of them.

"She's literally knocked out every opponent within under ten seconds."

Oh.

…

Well, shit.

"Alright…" I said letting out a sigh, "Give me two minutes."

"Wha-?! Ciel?!" Said Ruby holding my arm to stop me from moving forward, "What are you doing?! She'll beat you up!"

"Well, someone's gotta settle her down. Better me."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Relax. Remember that bit about being a tough cookie?"

"Yeah…"

"Then give me two minutes and I'll give you a good idea of what I meant." I said patting her shoulder before taking a step or so forward.

"Is there no one else than can challenge me?!"

Now that I can see her, isn't she the dragon Faunus that helped take care of the Hydra? And I swear I saw her before initiation…

But she's definitely got he others scared. I mean really, these guys are literally frozen. Maybe there's some that aren't so chicken about facing her, but after 57 wins, I'm assuming they'd know they wouldn't be leaving without a few broken bones if they challenged her.

And again, doesn't seem like she's going to clam down, so...I guess I should do something about it.

"Yeah, I got a challenge for you right here!"

Everyone turned to look at me wide eyed and surprised, like I belonged in an asylum or something. With all the chattering I could hear, it sounded like the majority was unsure if I'd win, much less get a scratch on the dragons Faunus. But there were the few that had some faith in me.

Thank you those few.

Eventually, people cleared away enough to make a path between me and our...tan skinned, pale-blond haired dragon Faunus.

…

Her height was making me a bit jealous…

That, and...well...she's actually kinda hot…

No pun intended there.

When enough people moved aside, my bright sky blue eyes finally met her violet, slit pupil eyes. The pupils were a bit off-putting, but not by a lot. If anything, the beautiful shine in her violet colored irises more than made up for it.

W-What am I saying…

I noticed something a bit curious about her. She seemed...shifty when we locked eyes…

I mean, I was a bit shifty too for…other reasons.

"Y-You wish to challenge me..?" She asked breaking eye contact with me.

"Y-Yeah! That's right! So...um...prepare yourself! 'Cause I'm, uh, gonna get you! Yeah…"

Totally the voice of confidence there.

"T-Then draw..! Uh…"

"Ciel's my name. Best not forget it."

"Musashi… Musashi Ryūjinhonō is my name, little warrior…"

…

Did she just call me little..?

I saw her take a sigh to relax herself before she glared at me, ready to move.

"Alright, overly tall gecko…" I said raising my hand to her head as I instantly appeared before her, "I thought about knocking you out, but since I like you a bit, I'll let you off easy."

Not giving her the chance to react, I quickly brought my center finger and thumb together and flicked our dear dragon Faunus in the head. There was a decent amount of force behind the flick, given how when my finger made contact with her forehead, a faint and tiny shock wave occurred on impact, making her stagger back until she finally fell on her rear.

So, let's break down what I did.

One, I stopped time for a few moments and stepped up to her. Two, I raised my hand to her head. Three, I used a invisibly thin barrier of Aura to funnel the force from my flick into a focused point. Four, the force was strong and targeted enough to travel through her entire head and deliver a concussive shock to her system, disorienting her greatly.

Short of it? She's gonna have trouble standing for a few minutes.

All I did next was wave my index finger around in loops with a satisfied smirk, turned around, and made my way back towards Ruby and Nora, both of them staring at me in awe as I approached.

"So...about those pancakes…"

* * *

"I can't believe it! You just flicked her forehead and..! And..! Boom! Over!" Said Ruby mimicking my movements while holding her fork.

"That was totally crazy! Are you like super strong?!" Asked Nora finishing her tenth plate of pancakes.

"Heck yeah!" I said finishing finishing a slice, "With all the training I did, I'm strong enough as is. But a part of my power has more of a focus on strength."

"What do you mean?" Asked Ruby after finishing her cup of milk.

"Well, concerning my abilities, they have more of focus on strength and speed. My brother Leo is more focused on speed and precision. My big brother Dante, well, he's got a balance of strength, speed, and precision. Then again, he is the best of the best."

Am I hugely biased towards my big brother? Hell yes I am. Am I puffing up his skills like a blowfish? Yeah, but it isn't for show. He killed the freaking Hydra. That says enough about what he can do to everyone here.

Then again, they don't know he killed a mother freaking God. Well, technically an Angel with power like a God, but hey, still counts.

Still, they don't need to know those facts. Hopefully they never will.

"Who trained him? Your big brother?" Asked Ruby.

"Well… He's learned from a lot of people. It's why he's really well rounded when it comes to all types of combat. I reckon he could beat me with a scythe."

"He uses a Longsword, doesn't he?" Asked Ruby while Nora continued to devour the pile of pancakes at our table, "I can't remember all too well from the Hydra fight… I got hit pretty hard."

"Yeah, a Longsword is his go-to weapon. But he can use a lot of other things. Even firearms, but, he's not a big fan of them."

"Well…" started Nora before scarfing down a whole four pancakes, "You're all stabby shabby with your cool extendo scythe. What's your brother do when he has to hit something far away?"

"He can throw his sword at them."

That made Nora laugh.

"What? It's true! But he doesn't do that so often. He's got swords he can make from his Aura that hover and levitate, and shoot forward faster than any bullet!"

"Woah…" said the both of them in awe.

Yeah, woah.

"But that's not the best part." I waved my hand for them to bring them in close, and they did so, "His best technique is massive super high density Aura Wave attacks made from his Aura! They're so devastating he could level a while mountain if he put his all in it"

"Woah~!"

"Yeah!"

I'm supremely biased towards my big brother.

Bias aside, I heard people around us going silent as someone approached. Ruby and Nora looked as though Death had come for them.

When I turned around, I saw the same person I met minutes ago standing behind me. Holding pancakes. Instead of doing what I was slightly expecting her to do, she just sat down next to me, keeping her eyes trained on her plate of pancakes. Musashi took a flew glances back and forth between us, but said nothing, picking up her fork and knife and setting in on her meal.

I looked to Ruby and Nora, but they only looked back at me, unable to say anything. Though, what was there to say? I mean, we weren't going to say "Hey, go the hell away".

Maybe… Just maybe she…

"You cool off?" I asked keeping face as best as possible.

"Y-Yes…" she simply replied.

"Cool. Heh, get it? Cool? Cool off? Cause she's a dragon?"

I looked to Ruby and Nora, but they gave me only awakward chuckles. Musashi surprisingly chuckled at my joke.

"That was a good one, Little Ciel."

"L-Little?!"

"You are smaller than I am. Though...you may very well be stronger. I was disgraced with defeat at your hands so easily. So...I'd reckon I'd be allowed with a nickname that I've given you as comfort for my defeat."

Well...I did beat her with a flick to the forehead…

"F-Fine… I guess I'll let it go then… But none of you get to call me short! Got it?!" I said looking at my two new friends.

"Hey, I'm pretty short myself, so...no complaints here."

"Yeah, I mean, you aren't even that short anyway." Said Nora shrugging her shoulders before looking to Musashi, "Hey, you gonna eat those?"

"Yes, I will eat these." She said moving her plate away

"Nora, never steal a dragons food. Lest you want to be burned."

"Got it."

"Wise words spoken." Affirmed Musashi before she took another bite of her pancakes.

"Speaking of wise...did any of you finish Oobleck's essay assignment?"

"Ugh, Ruby! You just reminded me!" Said Nora very much depressed.

"Sorry…"

"The man speaks far too fast for me to understand at times…" added Musashi.

"I got it done." I spoke up, all three of their eyes on me, "I'll help you guys out after this if you want."

"You really mean it?!" Said Ruby nearly leaping out of her seat, holding my hands.

"Y-Yeah...I'll help you guys out…"

"We're saved!" Said Nora flopping on the table, crying tears of joy.

"It's of no consequence if you assist us?" Asked Musashi.

"Nah, my brother Leo's just going to try to mess with me the entire time if I go back. So I'm just going to go back and kick him out." I told them

"Where's he going to go if we kick him out?" Ruby asked me.

"Eh, the library maybe. Don't worry about the small details so much."

It was nice to do this. Hang out with people. Make new friends. I am friendly and everything, but I never really had friends before. Well, I did, but…

My first friend was basically Foxy. And I met her three months ago with my brother.

Here's to hoping I can keep these friends.

* * *

 **This week I did a focus on Ciel and making some new friends in the process. Part of the first act is expanding on relationships while introducing everyone involved for now. Next week you'll be getting a pretty interesting** **development in the making. Take your guesses as to what it might be.**

 **Well, that's it for now, so with that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Of Black Devils and Midnight Blue Huntsmen**

«»

 **(Dante POV)**

I let out a deep sigh as I drove down the night road, letting the faint breeze brush past me as I stared at the Holographic screen projected from the central console. I was currently in a call with Inuba, who was currently asking for specifics. That and making sure I was okay and everything.

"Maybe you should have waited for me…"

"Why?" I asked, "From the description Ozpin gave me it seems like it's just a Wraith. Easy."

"But it has been some time since you've fought a Wraith." My partner countered.

"Like I said, it'll be easy. This is basically just a milk run if you think about it. That, and I'm pretty sure this can kill can it." I said summoning my longsword briefly before dematerializing it, "I'll call you when I get close to Beacon."

"Very well then… Please, be careful."

The screen closed to end the call just as I approached the entrance of the village, passing through a thin veil of mist and seeing a few buildings with lights still on.

"State your business here." Asked one of the guards.

"I'm the guy they sent front Beacon. Here." I said handing him an info-card, which he carefully looked over.

He scoffed when he finished reading, handing me back the card as he said "They sent a kid like you to take care of this?"

"I specialize in dealing with the supernatural."

"That's what they're calling it? Supernatural?"

"No one in your village informed you of anything?" I asked a bit surprised with the guard's lack of information.

"The mayor didn't say much. All any of us know is that people have gone missing as of late whenever they went up to hill near the crypt's entrance."

"Crypt?"

"Yeah. The mayor's family has been in charge of this place since two hundred years ago. When the first head of the family died, they built a crypt within the hill to bury and honor their dead. No one ever goes in there except a head of the family. It's not allowed."

Hmmm… That's a bit suspicious…

Wraiths tend to hang around in graveyards and the like, and sometimes slip out if they're attached or bound to objects, usually personal belongings from when they were alive. A Wraith is by definition an evil spirit, a transformed variation of a Ghost whose rage upon dying kept them tethered to the world.

If a Wraith is responsible for the missing people, what's its story? This town has been here for about two centuries, so I think it's safe to assume it came into formation during the beginning time period of this town. But then there's two more questions I need to ask…

What does the mayor know? And is he involved somehow?

"The town meeting hall is just at the end of this road. Drive on up there and the mayor will be waiting inside for you."

"Thanks."

I shifted Primarius' gears and lightly pressed the gas pedal to move through the road in the center of town slowly, seeing more than a few glances from the townspeople eyeing up the car.

I don't blame them. It's not often some stranger drives through your town with a fancy looking car decked out with amazing features.

I both hate you and love you Ross. Either way, again, thanks for the car, wherever you may be.

The town was pretty nice looking. Most of the buildings resembled and were styled in a manner similar to those from old western films I used to watch sometimes. It was a nice and familiar feel too it.

I saw the sign for town hall and slowed to a halt, shifting the gear into "park" once more while I pressed a button near the center console to raise the retractable hardtop completely so I could lock the car as I stepped out.

Entering inside the building gave me the same feel as walking through a courthouse. After the fiasco about two years ago, despite being innocent, I cringe a little each time I enter a courthouse.

It wasn't a good week.

"Excuse me sir." A guard spoke ahead of me, "Please remove any metallic objects on your person as well as any weapons in your possession."

At least they're being safe. Doesn't matter though since I can summon in my longsword at any time. It's my only weapon too.

I had nothing on me except my car keys, the small black square stud no bigger than my fingernail that acted as my unit for my HoloScroll, and Inuba's fox shaped charm. My hands dropped everything in a small container as it went through the scanner and out the other side, the guard apparently alright with everything.

Except for when I tired to take the basket of my belongings from him.

"You'll get these back after your meeting with the mayor is finished. Safety reasons and all that."

"Yeah, because there's clearly something nefarious hidden in that." I said pointing to the fox charm, "There's actually a miniature sized nuke hidden within that only I know the activation sequence to. Because the reason I'm here is to totally destroy your village."

That shit would've gotten me arrested in an airport back on Primordial, even if it was just sarcasm.

The guard gulped audibly enough and took a few steps away from me, as if he were going to run and call for help.

"Relax Gus. Mr. Dante was just fibbing. Please, return his belongings."

"But sir-"

"Gus…"

Gus the guard gave me a weary glance before he handed me the box with my stuff. I clipped the black stud back onto the collar of my black long sleeved shirt, and pocketed my car keys and charm in the pockets of my grey jeans before stepping forward to shake hands with the unusually young mayor.

Seriously, this guy looked to be twenty five years old or something. He had short brown hair and brown eyes, and wore a dark blue suit and tie.

"Mr. Dante, Professor Ozpin said to expect you here at this hour. And to expect some quirkiness on your part."

Quirkiness? Well, yeah, my behavior is strange at times. Again, that nonsense with the nuke would have gotten me arrested in Primordial. Here? I can get away with it as a joke. As far as I know, there's no nukes in Remnant. Well, except for myself, Inuba, and the oh so kind Niro. I think we're pretty much the only ones that could level an entire city.

"Sorry for that joke earlier. I'm just a bit personal about my stuff is all."

"Understandable." He said letting go of my hand as we shook, "Come into my office."

Uh-oh. I swear principle, I didn't stick the slices of ham on the ceiling.

Mental jokes aside, I did as he asked and stepped inside, taking a cautious glance around as the mayor of this fine establishment sat down in his leather chair, and I sat in mine.

"I'm glad you're here Mr. Dante. Matthew McDavis, mayor of Eliad Town."

"Dante, Beacon Academy student."

"I'll admit, I was surprised when I heard the Headmaster of Beacon would be sending a student. A lone student at that."

Surprising for anyone really. But like I said, this was a milk run at best. No need to drag the others along for something that would take thirty minutes or less.

See what I did there?

"But regardless, Professor Ozpin assured me of your skills. Spoke highly of them even. You deal with the supernatural on a daily basis?"

"Used to be daily…" I answered as I crossed my legs in my chair, "But I decided to become a Huntsmen instead. Either way, I know how to deal with just about anything."

"That's very good then-"

"But…" I said raising my hand to warn him, "It's best you're honest with me from the get to. Otherwise I won't be able to deal with this quickly. And before you know it, you'll be having a lot more people going missing. That being said...is there anything you need to tell me, mayor?"

He glanced at me, hesitant to say what was on his mind. But I made a compelling enough argument I believe.

"What do you know of our family crypt?" He asked me.

"Only what I've been told. Your family's been buried in there ever since the start up of this village. But what I don't know is how many are buried within there."

"Seven generations worth of relatives."

"Seven?" I asked almost surprised, "Not to be rude or anything, but that seems to be a pretty short lifespan."

"Age thirty to be more specific."

"Any specific reason for that?"

This might be a cursed object then if they're all dying at thirty.

"My father wrote a letter to me after my birth before he died. He told me it was my duty to become mayor of this town and to learn as much as I could as quickly as possible, so that I could guide and lead my citizens within my time to live, because one day...I would need to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect this town."

…

Son of a…

I pinched the bridge of my nose, now realizing what it was I passed through earlier. And it wasn't just a thin veil of mist.

"You idiots…" I whispered.

"S-Sorry?"

He heard me say something, but he apparently didn't hear me say "idiots".

"Mayor, I think I found your problem."

"Just from hearing a few words?"

"Like Ozpin said, I'm an expert. Anyway, your father, and his father before him and so on, they all died at the age of thirty, right?"

"Yes, every single one."

"And that veil of mist outside… That's up all year around?"

"How did-?" He sighed deeply before glancing towards me, "You're an expert."

Damn right I am. And your stupid ancestors made a really stupid mistake.

"My father explained that the veil was a family secret of sorts. For the two centuries this town has been established, the veil has stood in place ever since the passing of the first family head and has surprisingly kept the Grimm away from our village. We haven't suffered an attack ever since."

"Did you ever question anyone on how the barrier was maintained?"

"No...but… After reading my father's letter, I can only assume it feeds off of the life of the family head."

"And so you called Ozpin to see if he had any solutions to save your life and the life of any villagers unfortunate enough to go near the crypt. Sorry to say, the ones taken away inside are more than likely dead."

A morbid statement, but it was the reality of the situation. And he needed to know that so he wouldn't get his hopes up too high.

"I see… Mr. Dante, what exactly is it that we are dealing with here?"

"Well, both guesses were wrong so far. Well, my first guess wasn't wrong, but it wasn't entirely right."

"Then..?"

"What I'm going to fighting...is much worse than just a simple Wraith."

* * *

Did I ever mention how much I hate going through crypts at night? I hate going through crypts at night. Not because there's spooky, scary skeletons down here that send shivers down your spine, but because if there's a lot of dead in a crypt, and they get re-animated by whatever the hell Entity took up residence inside, I'm going to get swarmed in a confined space.

I don't enjoy being swarmed unless I'm out in the open.

In the case of if others were with me, I could project some of my Aura Swords and make them shine brighter to make more light. Fortunately it was just me, so I could use only my Shadow Eyes.

I could feel power blanketing my eyes and saw everything now. My sight when using Shadow Eyes is pretty interesting. Everything is pretty much Shadowy and Dark, but every single corner, edge and gap was highlighted in a lightly smoky white color. Given the numerous contours and shapes of people's faces, I could see them perfectly well in the Dark. Same goes for attacks as well.

Point is, I can see perfectly in the Dark.

As I moved through the underground tomb, I could see a few open plots, made for the future generations most likely. But what really caught my attention was the skeleton lying directly in front of me.

Well, it wasn't a complete skeleton. But it was fresh. Like yesterday fresh. Skin and whatever remaining flesh was completely withered, exposing many of the corpses bones across numerous sections. The dried up pool of blood underneath was dry, but the color wasn't faded in the slightest, which helped me in determining how long this corpse has been here.

Looking ahead, I could see a few more corpses and moved up to examine them. The first three or four bodies were kills from this week alone. The rest were older. I kept pressing forward ever so silently, checking every single corner and even checking the ceiling.

Damn monsters just love crawling up there…

Surprisingly...I found almost nothing except bodies so far. But then, I came up to the end of the tomb, seeing what had to be the bodies of the previous heads of the McDavis family. But the most distinguishable tomb was the one at the center of the rest of the graves.

That and it was seeping with dark red energy.

This had to be the body of the Wraith. So with that in mind, I grabbed a small blackwood grain rectangular box from my pocket, which I had stowed in my car and taken with me after my meeting with the mayor, and slid out the wooden lid. Inside were numerous varieties of paper talismans Inuba had made, ten talismans each for every variety of exorcism and purification, amounting to one hundred talismans total.

The one I needed was… Ah, this one.

Inuba was meticulous when it came to organization in general. But when it came to tools necessary for the trade, her methods went above and beyond.

For instance, what I needed was a purification talisman. For exorcism talismans, the paper used was black and the ink white. For purification, which I currently needed, the paper was white with black ink.

Now, there's different varieties of purification methods. But what I needed was one for a body, which would burn the remains and purify them in the process, allowing the spirit to move on. And since Inuba's flames has the same purifying effect as salting and burning a body, the talismans would work the same.

And so I took the white talisman in my hand, slid the lid back in to cover the box, and then placed the paper in pocket so I could slide the tomb lid off. When I did, I found exactly what I had hoped to.

A body.

The flow of energy was sinister to say the least. Hateful, enraged, take your pick. Either way, bye bye Wraith.

I took the paper talisman and slapped it on the corpse, then, summoned a small wick of my white and black Aura and touched the paper, which then lit the entire corpse ablaze and consumed it entirely within a few seconds.

That takes care of that. Now-

An ear piercing, ghastly shriek sounded through the tombs and continued for a few seconds without pause. Normally that's just a Death Wail, a sign of their being exorcised and being made to move on. But...I get the distinct feeling this isn't over yet.

And I was right.

The second I turned around, I found myself staring upon a figure cloaked in Shadowy black garb, and a hood standing up, obscuring his face, if he had one, from sight. His hands were gauntleted in silvery, segmented armor that had a twisted design about it. I was right earlier.

This thing was a Shadow Wraith.

I made to swing at its head, but it turned into black mist and vanished from sight. Moving my head to the right, I saw a rusted steel sword pass by head in a stabbing motion, and spun around to take a swing at the creature again. This time instead of dodging, it quickly swung its sword against mine, letting out another screeching wail.

Surprisingly, this thing was quick on its feet. Everytime I swung at the Wraith, it quickly dodged back from the attacks it could and blocked my strikes when I made it very difficult to dodge. The problem was its constant turning into mist to quickly get behind me.

But that's what made its movements predictable. When Wraiths strike, they attempt to strike mostly in places their opponent can't see, their blind spots in a sense. But again, if someone knew their tactics well enough, it made their attacks predictable as easy to dodge.

Technically, I can end this now. But I'd like some fun with this first at least. It's not everyday you get to fight a Shadow Wraith.

Normally, a Wraith is impossible to kill by physical means unless using magic. But in the case you don't have magic, a weapon made from silver would work. But this was a Shadow Wraith, which meant I couldn't just hit its body all willy nilly and kill it. To kill a Shadow Wraith, one must break the item that's tethering them here.

But I burned the body, so where..?

…

Sneaky bastard… Guess I might have to get a little crazy after all.

The next time I clashed with the Shadow Wraith, I quickly pushed it back and sent it crashing into a wall with an amplified swing, unleashing a small wave of white and black Aura all the while to send it flying.

Alright, here goes.

I twirled my blade into backhand position, grasped it with both hands, and raised it slowly up into the air, keeping the point facing the ground. The blade glowed with my Aura and shone brightly, the amassing of the Aura slowly starting to seep out of the blade.

And then, I plunged my sword into the ground, letting out an expanding shock wave of white and black Aura that traveled throughout the entirety of the crypt. The Shadow Wraith wailed from the overflow of Aura, falling to the ground on its knees as it dropped its sword of to the side.

Whatever object it was tethered to was broken. But that wasn't the need. See, breaking the object tethered to a Shadow Wraith won't kill it. But it'll make its body tangible to destroy.

The ghost like creature looked up at me quickly, but I immediately plunged my sword in its chest to end its existence. I could feel the magic it had set up in defense to physical attacks trying to punish me for stabbing it, but the pain was virtually nonexistent, and very slowly, the creature's body turned in black dust and crumbled into nothingness.

The Wraith had met its end.

* * *

"Thank you, mr. Dante. You've done more than just save the lives of my citizens. You saved me, and future generations of my family. I can't thank you enough."

"Don't sweat the small stuff mayor. Just happy help. Like I said earlier, make sure the Aura Sword I planted stays planted. It'll keep the new barrier up and will use solar energy to keep it powered."

"Are you sure it will be self sustaining like you said?"

"Trust me mayor, this is kitsune magic. It's gonna work. How do I know? Well… Let's just say I have my sources."

"Understood."

I turned to make my leave to my car, but the mayor's voice stopped me before I did.

"A moment longer, mr. Dante."

I don't need a higher payment amount. I'm just fine with what I earned.

"If it's no trouble to you, could you perhaps go further up the road and check on the village there? We haven't been in contact for a few hours now, and we were supposed to receive trade supplies about three hours ago."

"Send a scouting party to check it out?" I asked facing him.

"We did but they haven't returned."

Could be they're under duress from the Grimm…

"I'll go check it out then. Thanks again mr. McDavis."

I received a wave goodbye from him and a few of the villagers as I stepped inside my car and pressed the ignition button to start it.

Guess I had to make another stop…

* * *

What could I be walking into, I wonder?

A town under siege from a Grimm incursion? Or something else entirely? Like bandits? It's not uncommon out here. If it were Grimm, I'm sure someone would have managed to get a message out.

The chances of this being a bandit attack just rose up a bit.

Like a bolt from the blue, a dozen Beowolves had gathered up on the road a mile or so ahead of me. Which was good for me, since I got to try out a new trick I forgot to earlier.

I held the button on the side of the door down to lower the car window entirely and stuck out half my body from the window.

"Alright you uglies… Have a taste of this!"

My hand was quickly raised upwards into the open air, forming about a dozen Aura Swords that hovered in the air near the side of the car as I sped down the road. Then, when I lowered my hand and made my palm face the Grimm on the road, my Aura Swords shot forward with intense speed, leaving wispy trails of white and black Aura behind them as they pierced each of the Grimm. The force of impact from the Swords pushed away and cleared the Beowolves from the road, and I let out a short cheer of success as I seated myself normally again and continued down the road.

I think that experiment can be called a success.

Primarius carried me forward elegantly, but every now and then I had to swerve a pit to avoid potholes and the like.

In the earlier days before air travel, few roads were built leading all across the continent, and one big road connecting to a bridge leading to an island of sorts, the very same bridge connecting from that small island all the way to Atlas. Road travel was the basic means of transport for a few years, and so they had roads built and posted signs and the like everywhere.

However, travel on the roads became more and more dangerous due to bandits and the Grimm. And so, once the roads were completed, the kingdoms began working on a new means of travel with Atlas at the forefront. Air travel. Within a few decades time, airships soon became the common means of transport for both goods and people. Usually nowadays you only see cars within the Kingdoms. There isn't anyone crazy enough to travel outside of the Kingdoms using a car.

Well, except me of course. I'm a complete lunatic, and if you called me one, I honestly wouldn't deny it. The ideas I have time to time are crazy, so…

Interesting thing I did two days ago. I tampered with Primarius' radio so I can pick up radio stations from afar, as well as emergency broadcast signals. It wasn't easy, but after reading through a few books and poking around on the internet, I was able to make some fine tune adjustments to make things work.

Which reminds me, I better take a few pages out of Ray Chroma's book concerning tech. And by that, I mean I should learn from him. And others of course.

Unsurprisingly, there were a few good tunes on the radio. I mean, I have music from Primordial, but only what I had on my HoloDevice after I converted it into a HoloScroll. So on my free time in between, I've been tuning in to different radio stations and listening to songs whenever and seeing what I liked so I can download it later.

This also brings me to another epiphany. I need to find ways to make Lien, other than the standard causal jobs around town. And technically, I can only get paid from missions, which we wouldn't be doing too much of considering we're only first years. But considering the batch of first years I'm in with, we're a tough bunch. The teams to definitely look out for are RWBY, JNPR, LMKN, ELAA and RGDS. And of course my team, DICL.

I think it's safe to say we're an exceptional bunch.

As I drove down the road, a bright glow in the distance caught my attention, making me rotate the volume knob on the radio to low as my eyes scanned the area ahead of me. When I got closer and out of the clearing, I could see the village mayor McDavis sent me to check on.

It was burning.

I quickly turned the wheel as I approached the village entrance and drifted to face forward in the direction I came from in case I needed to make a quick escape. Once I rapidly shifted the gear into park, I quickly stepped out of the car and locked door, turning my attention back to the village and listening carefully for any voices or screaming.

Silence with the exception of the crackling of the wood and the roar of the flames.

"What the hell happened…"

I kept the question tucked in the back of my head as I summoned my Longsword to my right hand and quickly stepped into the village, keeping my footsteps silent in case whatever or whomever did this was still here.

Homes and shops were lit ablaze, and within them…

I've seen a lot of messed up things in my life so far. Hell, I've done messed up things when I was younger. Despite being the cold bastard that I was, I can never get used to seeing a mass of dead bodies and not react. Even then it made me uneasy.

I saw a few burning corpses out in the street, their bodies nearly ash. But for the few still a ways from breaking down, I can see what kind of wounds these were.

Circular entry points. No jagged formations. No bites. No slash marks or cuts. All the other bodies were the same. Grimm weren't responsible for this. These were gunshot wounds. But something was odd about them.

They were perfectly clean and circular, like something burned through.

I've been shot thousands of times by now. And every time, none of the wounds were that clean unless they were done with some sort of mechanism to make bullets burn through.

Then I heard it.

A gunshot rang out from further within the burning village, and within seconds, I pinpointed where the noise came from.

It wasn't until the second shot that I bolted forward and made my way to the village square.

I ran past everything, keeping my focus on the direction of where the shot came from until a Beowolf burst out from one of the buildings, completely lit ablaze by the flames from within the flaming house. It flailed its arms about momentarily before diverting its attention to me and lunging forward as I ran.

One swift movement and I ducked under its swing and quickly slashed through its waist, passing through it with my swing as I turned my blade downwards and plunged it into the creature's head, pinning it to floor. With that quick kill out of the way, I pressed forward all the same, rounding the corner and taking a quick look around.

It was then I could see him there in the town square.

A man stood at the center of the burning village, staring out into a distance with a gun raised.

"So he ran away. Predictable…" I heard him say.

His head turned in my direction slightly, as if noticing me now, before turning around to fully face me, allowing to get a good look at him.

The man was garbed in a tight Midnight blue coat with long tails that reached his calves, the coat sporting black flame patterns along the ends of the tails, the lapels of his coat and around the ends of his sleeves. The coat was closed and held together by two black straps, and along the sleeves, descending from his shoulders, where two large black lines ran all the way down to his tight sleeves.

Around his neck was a thin fabric, Midnight blue scarf, with its tattered ends dangling behind his back as it moved with the small breeze that swept through the town. It wasn't until he lifted his head up that I could see his entire head was covered in a black bone-plate mask-helmet of sorts, the face entirely resembling the features of a human skull, but slightly different. There were large, diamond shaped gaps between where the molars where and where the jaw connected.

Oddest of all however was the tattered Midnight blue cowboy hat atop his entirely armored head, sporting sharp and dangerous looking edges. Looking to his hands, I could see that they too were layered entirely in black bone-plated armor resembling sinew and muscle fibers, the fingertips sporting small claws. From that gap between the lower half of his coat, I could see he wore black, bone-plate armor leggings similar in design to his gauntlets, that fully protected his legs.

The black plating itself looked as though it were perfectly molded bone plating that came together in tight seams, visible on the sides of his legs. The leggings also came with knee guards attached to the greaves that were triangular in a sense, bending inwards and slightly outwards along the edges. Even the thighs of the leggings shared the same bone-plate look, with no visible gaps to be found except for behind the knees.

Then, there was the thing that caught my attention the most. Two black holsters completely attached to the hips of the Midnight blue coat, where one of his guns was holstered while he held the other.

The gun was a silvery colored, top-break handcannon, the gun's barrel vertically wide by slides and a sleek, heavy-duty twelve inch barrel. Those guns of his had to have been built for delivering high impact payloads while dealing with the flinch of an artillery cannon. From what I could see of the other gun in his holster, which I assumed to be of the same design as the one he held, both revolvers sported black, wooden, ergonomic grips that had finger grooves.

This guy is seriously bad news… I'm getting all sorts of bad vibes from him…

"Oh? A survivor?" I heard him speak out to me in a collected, even voice with a mild reverberation, "No… Not quite… I would have run into you earlier if that were the case. You must have arrived from the outside just now."

I was silent for a few moments before I asked with a hint of frustration in my tone, "Did you do all this..?"

No response. He simply stood there, watching me with his gun lowered to his side.

Was he studying me?

"I just asked you a question, now answer me!" I said pointing my sword at him.

He kept silent and still all the more, soon raising only his empty left hand up slightly with his clawed index finger pointed upwards slightly.

"Your voice…"

"What..?!"

"You don't have to raise your voice. There's no need for that."

I took a cautious step back, keeping my eyes on him entirely as he lowered his left hand.

"I came in search for something in this village. That certain something has moved to a different location, luckily slipping out of my hands at the very last moment due to your arrival. Sensing your presence, I was distracted for a moment and 'it' managed to escape. I was more than certain that with the battle before your arrival, everyone in the town had perished. Which is why your arrival was surprising to say the least."

"Then...you did all this…"

"Not entirely."

A glint of surprise was all I flashed him while I tried to understand what he meant.

"I wasn't solely responsible for the villagers perishing. Rather, I let the other 'thing' largely responsible kill the majority of the villagers. I only silenced the ones that managed to survive."

My grip tightened on my sword as I lowered it to my side, my eyes glaring daggers at the man ahead of me.

"I prefer silencing any and all sources of potential knowledge about me, preventing them from leaving the locations I work in. Now and then I allow a survivor or two. But because of you, what I had come searching this village for slipped out of my fingers. And so, I'll determine whether or not you are worthy of being allowed to live."

A smile formed across my face at his challenge, amused with his quick assumption that I would be easy work for him. He's going to be in for a world of hurt.

"No cavalry hiding around somewhere?"

"Don't be so quick to hold your breath. I am here by myself. The only person you have to worry about now is me...and me alone."

Can I take his word for that?

One way to find out…

I quickly shot my hand forward and sent an Aura Sword zooming faster than a bullet directly for the strangers skull, who ducked under the it and leapt upwards as I shot another at him.

My feet pushed me off the ground easily to quickly met the man as we exchanged a few blows midair. He shot for my head first, making me move it to the side as swung my blade. The stranger used his gun to block it and force it away, making a few more attempts to shoot me up with his revolver.

The man in Midnight blue kicked away from me to put distance between us, but I didn't back off quite so easily. I grabbed hold of the tail of his coat, spun him around twice and tossed him towards one of the burning buildings near us. He twirled himself around and safely landed on a flagpole, leaping up into the air yet again when I dropped my heel down on the base of the pole, sending it spinning upwards towards my enemy.

He leaned back enough to dodge the pole and performed a drop kick on me, which I blocked using my forearm, but was completely overpowered and sent tumbling down the side of the building. I nearly would have fallen had I not plunged my sword into the side of the wall to keep me in place.

I sent out another Aura Sword, but before it even got close, he took quick aim and fired a bullet directly at the Aura Swords point, destroying both metallic bullet and Aura made weapon. My feet touched the side of the wall as I let out a roar, ripping my blade free from the stone while lashing upwards with great force, unleashing a menacing torrent of white and black Aura that tore through the building to swallow up the stranger, forcing him to leap off the building to avoid the destructive wave of energy and stand atop the tower falling down.

As it fell, I ran up it towards the man and lunged forward with a quick stab that he moved his head out of the way of, ducking underneath my next swipe to his head while raising his gun to fire off another shot that I dodged. He moved to deliver a quick stomp kick and I countered with a kick of my own, forcing the two of us apart a considerable distance as we both landed on the ground seconds after.

The top of his revolver opened up, and out popped a cylindrical cartridge as he slapped a new one into the gun and motioned his gun upwards forcefully to close it back up.

"Impressive. Most impressive. You're far more skilled and able than I originally gave you credit for. Perhaps…"

Silence was the only response I have him. I was too focused on what he might pull next. He's no ordinary fighter. If anything, he's highly skilled.

"No… It's too early to tell… But you have piqued my curiosity to say the least. I would meet with you again sometime on the future."

"How about now and save yourself and me the annoyance?"

He chuckled silently at my words.

"In time. Until next time, young man…"

With that, the man's body completely turned black, obscuring his features entirely as he quickly sank down into the surface of the building.

No use in trying to go after him. Whatever he just did either cancels Aura Sensing or put him out of range.

Damn… What the hell is he? That's two people now that have been able to keep up with me fairly well… Not only that…

My gaze turned back on the burning village, watching the last few buildings finally crumble and fall, kicking up the ashes in the air. The fires seemed to be dwindling slowly, but to be safe, I outstretched my left hand, my white and black Aura slowly forming a large dome of tightly knit hexagonal shapes around the entire town.

The fire should die out entirely in a few hours, so I set the barrier to crumble after twenty four hours. And with it, the ashes of what remained would be free to scatter in the winds.

* * *

I'd gotten back to the mayor a few minutes after what happened in the obscure village a ways from them and told him of what had happened.

He was...devastated to say the least.

I could only offer him my condolences as I got back into my car and took off into the night once again, and made my way back to Vale. Except, I didn't go straight for Beacon.

I needed to de-stress.

I may not have been impacted as much as Mayor McDavis was, but I still felt a bit...troubled? We'll go with troubled.

So I drove around Vale, looking for a nice place to sit down, relax...and get a drink.

Yes yes, how immoral and irresponsible for a student, a person of my age to say the least, to go out drinking.

It didn't matter anyway. Can't get drunk. Alcohol burns away practically as soon as it enters my system. In a sense, to me, drinking alcohol is like drinking tap water, or flavored drinks. Either or. So in my perspective, it's ok for me to drink since there's no consequences other than moral outrage of my peers.

Like that matters.

Then, I found a "safe haven".

I parked my car in one of the sidewalk spaces literally just a few feet away from the bar I stopped in front of and stepped on out, giving it a once over. It was a modernized, darkwood tavern with a sign hanging on the outside, labeling it "The Black Stallion. I also noticed a bit of an overhang/veranda.

First impressions so far?

It's actually pretty good. Kind of my style. Definitely won me over with the darkwood grain.

I don't know what it is with that type of wood. I just like how it looks.

The neighborhood was pretty alright. Little bit shady, might be a few stand ins for even shaded underground business. But hey, no need to barge in really. I'm just here for a drink.

Before I even thought of going inside, I stretched out my hand towards Primarius and covered her in a thin veil of my white and black Aura, forming a barrier of small hexagons that covered it from head to toe. That was just in case anyone tried to break into my car. Or steal it. But even then, I had some failsafe plans in place.

And so I took my first steps inside the bar and took a look around at its patrons.

Rowdy bunch. The whole lot of them. Might be a criminal or an outlaw here and there, but hey, who am I to judge really? I'm just here for a drink.

It was really nice in here… It had a dark wooded theme setting, my favorite, and an almost tavern-like look overall. The bar wasn't all that large; two large spanning windows encompassing both sides of the entry door, which also had glass to peer out into the street. Boothed tables lined the room on all of its walls, save for the bar that lie centralized on the righthand wall.

The bar itself wrapped around in a hard u-shape, shelves of drinks and glasses lining its wall alongside drink dispensers, bottles running along the interior of the bar's countertop. The bar's most upper portions was its outer portion, all of which were polished dark wood to cater to those who sat on the stools lining the bar's counter. The center of the room is where the rest of the tables were, situated with surrounding chairs and spaced out around the room while the corner of the bar was reserved for the two pooltables and dartboards.

I'm officially sold now.

Well, better get started.

I walked on over to the bar table and looked around for a bit. Then, I heard an oddly familiar voice call out to me.

"Want something?" He asked, eventually turning toward me.

…

Remember that bit about this being a safe haven? Scratch that, I just walked into the freaking lion's den. Which lion's den?

The den with Niro freaking Ezdeil in it.

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiii-

"Oh. Well… Hi?"

He still kept his usual stoic expression, telling me as I sat down "Name a drink, I have it. Pay the lien, and you can drink it. No formalities needed."

Okay..? More importantly...

"You work here?" I asked, leaning forward for a moment in my seat, trying to get a closer look at his wares.

"I'm the owner." he replied simply.

Something I've noticed with our dear friend Niro, is that he tries to keep his voice from dipping as low as it can with me. Seriously, what the hell did I do to you to be this way with me?

I'll just...keep being nice. Remember what Inuba said,"Tolerance...is key."

"Heh… That's pretty cool. How'd you come by it?" I asked.

Not too many people his age own a freaking bar. Which has to mean-

"Inheritance."

Bingo.

"Family business? I mean, Black Stallion. Kinda works with your whole…" I started, motioning my hand in circles towards him before eventually saying, "thing."

Seriously, it does. All this guy wears is black.

"My father named it. I run it now."

Father, huh..?

"His time to retire?"

"Wasn't his choice. What do you want to drink? I can serve you anything, mix you anything, even enough to kill you if you give me the lien for it" He explained, carefully cleaning a glass in his hands before putting it away.

Cute. Can't kill me normally, so now he's going to try using alcohol. Alright, I'm game chuckle brother. Bring your A-game.

"Alright then… What's your top five best?" I asked.

"One of the strongest percentages of alcohol content I have is a mixture of concentrated acolyte and hard whiskey, finished off with a dash of Aura-stimulant. It's on the top list." He nodded his hat up to the menu board of drinks shining across the top of his bar, "One of many among a list of the forbidden items. All of their contents are listed."

See, now I'm one hundred percent sure he's trying to kill. Anything with "forbidden" in a drink menu is kind of a big tip off.

"Leading with no-fly list items? A game of chicken right off the bat?" I smiled, "You interest me."

Let it be written in the histories of…whoever from wherever, that I'm not drinking the hard stuff just to prove something to him. Sort of. I just wanna see if the pack as much of a punch as he makes them out to be.

"I punched you. You didn't die. You can take a few of my drinks standing, no problem."

Aw, is that disappointment I hear in his tone?

"What? A first even for you?" I asked him.

He only shot me a stare before going to work cleaning another glass.

Now that I think about it, that might actually be a first for him. I can tell how hard he hit me. And trust me, a punch like that would explode a normal person if it made contact.

"You know what, no, I can see that. That could have killed someone. Or horribly disfigured someone's body. And internal organs. And definitely the bones."

"If they have Aura, it usually just shatters that shell and erases their arm, taking half their body with it. You took it with just your hand, despite having more Aura in you than the majority of the school." He returned.

See, that's where your logic is flawed a bit.

I didn't use a speck of Aura to block your punch.

"Whoa… That's pretty cool. I mean, not cool for the person on the receiving end, but man, what a picture."

Usually when I see someone getting exploded, it's by a bolt of something or magic or whatever. Well, then there's Saitama who just...annihilates people with one punch. Hence why I refer to Niro as wannabe One Punch man.

"I'm beginning to think you're not actually thirsty…" He muttered.

Don't be so quick to chase me out. I was just working up to it.

"Nope, I am." I replied, "Just kinda sorta making small talk in between."

"There is no in-between when you don't have a drink to start with. Starting with the hard beverages? Or do you actually want to work your way up?" He asked absently, trying to keep his glance away from me.

"Is that even a question?" I asked rhetorically, planting his hand down, "Hard drinks."

Go hard or go home. That is still the term people use these days, right? No? I don't know…

"Rectified Sin it is." He replied.

Well with a name like that, I'm sure there's nothing nefarious in there.

"96.6% ABV. I'll give you a pint." He stated before cleaning, cooling, then sliding me a full glass of "Rectified Sin".

"Nice!"

He didn't think I was watching, but I could see him eyeing me expectantly, waiting to see if this drink would drop me. Then in a swift display of insatiable thirst, I downed that chucked in five seconds, chugging it like a fish. As soon as I finished it, much to his disappointment at still being standing and unaffected, I lowered the glass and shuddered slightly as I let the drink wash over me, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"I like it!" I exclaimed in an intake and outtake of fresh air, thinking about a little trick I could pull, "Another!"

I saw the floor beneath me where I intended to "throw down" the cup erupt in a small cluster of fragile lime green polygons, ready to catch the glass as soon as it landed...had it even left my hands on the first place.

I only made the motion to make it look like I was going to throw the glass on the floor, only for me to quickly place my index finger directly beneath the center of the cup's bottom, balancing it perfectly on my fingertip as I raised it up.

"Ah! Got you!"

He wasn't showing it all too much, but he was fuming a bit.

Serves you right.

"Do that again and I'll get you a sippy cup..." He replied, letting his Aura melt back into the floorboards.

"Lighten up chuckle brother. I wasn't actually going to do it…" Even though I had half a mind to,actually do it, "Consider me making you tense up a bit of payback for the punch. I have a twisted sense of humor at times."

Which is technically true. Though, if I think about it carefully enough, that might not be the only thing twisted about me.

Instead of refilling my glass, he slid me the rest of the bottle of Rectified Sin, "If you want more, just pour it yourself. Just keep a tab on how much lien you're drinking."

The bottle lasted only fifteen seconds until it was fully empty.

"That had some kick to it. Damn…" I said, pounding my chest twice while sliding aside the empty bottle, "What else you got for me?"

"Next one on the list is Devil's Mistress, which is the mixture of acolyte and whiskey I mentioned." He stated, drawing out a new glass and mixing up the second strongest drink he had listed.

Huh… Mixing in Aura Stimulant? That's a bit dangerous. From what I read up on, they used Aura Stimulants as tools on the battlefields during the war ages ago in order to enhance soldier's Aura Supply. Problem was, too much of it and it made them go berserk. While there were benefits, there were also drawbacks.

He planted the drink down in front of me, a soft, shining light bristling out from between the clinking ice cubes.

Fancy.

"Sweet suffering succotash it glows…" I rattled the glass while staring intently at the clinking amber liquid, "Why the Aura though?"

"It adds the glow, but it also strengthens the alcohol concentration by acting as its catalyst. It has an attribute that draws out energy within a substance." He explained, the ice melting a little, "Whether it be inside our bodies or inside a pool of liquid."

"Alright…"

I quickly brought up both my hands and rapidly slapped the sides of my to ready myself, then, like the last drink, downed this one in one go.

"Not gonna lie, that was brilliant."

He can make some great drinks, I'll give him that.

"What's the most popular drink in here that won't kill someone?" I asked, enacting my habit of gnawing on the ice cubes quickly one after another.

"Most popular is a drink called Liya, a mixture of whiskey, bourbon, and water. Served with ice."

"And which majority likes that one more? Girls or guys?"

"Both. It's popular due to it being a socializing drink that looks appetizing, but it retains a kick to it that patrons enjoy." He replied, crossing his arms behind his bar.

Huh… You know...I just realized something. This ice cubes aren't normal… They taste like… Ethanol? Man, he really is trying hard to subtly kill me right now

"Your tab's racking up. Do you have the lien for all this?" Niro asked.

That depends. If I remember the conversions I did, the amount of Lien compared to the money in Primordial is about one hundred Lien for every one Silvered Note back in Primordial.

So yeah, I think I have enough Lien.

"Uh… Let's see… How much are we at?"

"Considering the drinks you've had so far were among the most expensive, due to the certainty of death factor, you've racked up enough to cover half a pound of Atlesian silver plus a Mistrian Cigar collection."

"Exact numbers man." I asked.

"About 27,000 lien."

"That much?"

It wasn't so much that it cost a lot, it was just the fact drinks like that cost so much. Not that it would seriously dent my Lien Savings I've made so far.

"The high price is to dissuade patrons from drinking to their death." Niro stated.

"Right, right… Cool then."

Under the table, in a small flashing streak of white and black Aura, my black leather wallet appeared in my hand, allowing me to dig inside and look for the eight lien cards I needed, sliding them Niro's way without hesitation. Strangely enough, when he took the cards, he just dropped them into a conglomerate pile of lien and gems and anything else that could be used or traded for currency.

My guess is that he leaves it out in the open since no one would want to steal from his bar. Hell, I'd piss him off slightly just to mess with him, but have mercy on the poor bastard who would think to steal from him.

"And that was just two of five. Three left I guess. What else you got that's capable of killing a man?" I asked with a cheeky smile about me.

"A six-shot revolver and a stash of D4 in the back." Niro returned, "Just read off a name, I'll tell you about it."

Fiiine… Hmmm…

"Oh! What about…Cynthian Ale! What's up with that one?" I asked pointing it out.

"It's not your traditional ale. The water and herbs used to brew it are from a small village southwest of the kingdom, grown under unusual circumstances due to the spring water there. It's fifth on the list but still strong. It's popular among veteran drinkers."

"Popular and strong, huh…? Alright, let's give this one a go. I'll take three."

The three pints were poured within a second, foaming down the sides of the glasses as Niro planted them in front of me, a dark, crimson red hue of color shining through the drinks.

"I keep forgetting how fast you are..." I said working on my first pint.

I mean really, he's the fastest moving I've seen since… Well… A certain someone I used to know.

Finishing my third pint, ready and eager to start on whatever ungodly, but deliciously savory concoction he had waiting for me next, I set down my glass.

Like I said, he makes good drinks. I should offer a compliment.

"Got to hand it to you though, good touch with the sweetness. Really thirst quenching too. Did you come up with everything?"

"Not that one. I import that from the village of Cynthia itself. They're the ones to brew it. I create the majority of the rest of the drinks, if I don't collect them from exterior sources."

"So how do you go about getting barrels?" I asked, sliding the three empty pints to him, "Payment? Trade off's of sorts?"

"The village is well-off, but they lack protection. I supply that in return for the products of their brewery."

"Mmmm. Like the barrier we put up near the eastern mountains outside of Vale. Well, on the mountain to be more specific. Mountain village."

So he can make barriers too… Offense and defense huh? You're going to be annoying to deal with if ever I fight with you...

"Cynthia's barrier is similar to the field I put up around Beacon's outer forests. The invisible array of strands allow those with Aura, and certain creatures without, to pass through."

"Like shredding paper. Fun. Ours just incinerates things entirely. Actually, on that, you do odd jobs besides running this place? I mean, if you go out that far, you must, right?"

I might need to expand my search for jobs beyond normal stuff. I have to start racking up lien for a decent foundation.

"None that would interest you."

So you say…

"Afraid I'll snatch a job from you?"

"I don't take jobs out there for lien. I take them for sourcing my business here at the bar. If you're looking for work that'll earn you lien, try asking around the information network."

And have them cut out my liver or kidney? No thanks.

"Noted. So then…next would be… Dark Laerze? What's that?"

"Dark Laerze," Niro restated, titling the name of the next drink on the list, "Sourced from Vacuo, made from sugar cane and dark-roasted cocoa beans. It's a bitter-sweet drink, but that clash is what puts it on the list."

"Very nice…"

"95.2% on its own." he said pouring me a single chilled pint for this one, sliding it my way.

"Always up for a challenge," I said raising the glass, "I've only heard tales of beverages that come out of Vacuo. Let's see if they live up to them."

And because of that, I took my time with this one, savoring the flavor as I slowly downed it.

"So you mentioned sourcing business at your bar. Am I correct to assume part of, if not a majority, of the info net in Vale comes through here?"

Maybe he might have the information I'm looking for...

"It's the focal point. Basically a hub for the info-brokers in the kingdom to share information." He returned, setting the empty pints that have been piling up down onto my side of his bar.

"And you'd clearly know of things going in and out of here. 'People', to be more precise."

"I head the bar here." He replied simply, nodding to the rest of the room with a slight tip of his black hat, "Their business is their own, I'm just the median. It's Anoel's job to handle the information. That being said, nothing is uttered in here without me hearing it."

I could feel his eyes on me as I slid the pint glass on the table between my hands, a bit hesitant to ask my next question for the fact he might not answer it.

But I asked it anyway.

"What do you know about a huntsman garbed in Midnight blue?"

As soon as I said that, the entire bar went silent, making me take a glance around to see the stunned stares I got from everyone. Even the patrons near me scooted away, as if uttering those words brought an omen of death or something. Though, they wouldn't be wrong about that. That guy in the Midnight blue coat… He's definitely more than just a murderous wanderer.

"The Midnight Huntsman has been brought up a few times in here, but only rumors. The name alone is a hefty weight to know, let alone speak freely." Niro said looking my way, crossing his arms as the attention shifted in the room, "He kill someone you know?"

"No. I went out on a task Ozpin sent me out on concerning a town with supernatural happenings and occurrences. I dealt with the problem, but the town mayor tipped me off to a village with potential problems of their own. So I headed on over. Fire and ashes were all I found. That…and him. I asked if he was the one responsible and he just toyed around with me when he gave an answer. Didn't take too kindly to that so I decided to engage him. Whoever he is…he's good. Real good. I think he shot me? Can't seem to recall…"

I swear he managed to land a shot on my body earlier when we fought, but feeling around my body said otherwise. Must've been my imagination.

"Information about him is near impossible to come by due to either all witnesses being killed or, for the few who actually survive an encounter, the sudden phenomenon of that information slipping from their conscious grasps. He's a shadow, whatever's known about him has only ever been the end-results he leaves behind in his wake."

"How long has he been around? If one were to guess at least..."

"Fifteen years. He didn't exist in any information network before then." Niro replied, as initial unease of the bar's occupants slowly dwindled away so they can resume their activities.

"Ffiteen years and no one's caught on to this guy? Unbelievable…"

I mean, if he's been around for that long, someone must've tried to do something right? Maybe they have...and it didn't go well.

"Several have died trying, all just adding to his kill count."

"How many by now?" I asked, meeting Niro's eyes, "Hundreds?"

"22,384 dead by his hands."

Damn… That's...a lot...

"That's not right man… That many? And for what exactly?" I asked with a hint of frustration in my tone.

"It's unknown. That's why people are either searching for answers or avoiding his name entirely."

"I've run into some real pieces of work… But this? This is a whole new level entirely. Human wise at least. If he's even that."

Wasn't sure if he was the standard human or Faunus around Remnant. Especially with that disappearing act of his.

"What's your take on it then? He's obviously up to no good, and that's putting it lightly. So? Thoughts?" I asked, legitimately interested in what he had to say.

"His intents are his own and what he intends to do is up to him. If you want to stop him, then you're not the first to try. He's set on something. I couldn't care less about what that is unless it directly involved me."

"Heh. You never know. I mean…" I leaned in a bit closer so he could hear me without others listening in, "You aren't exactly normal yourself. If anything, you're a freaking anomaly that very few would like to understand."

"I live under a simple state of mind." He returned, narrowing his eyes beneath the shadow of his cowboy hat, "You take someone else's stuff, I don't care. You take my stuff, I ruin you."

"Simple indeed." I replied, tossing a small smile to the side, "Not that there's anything wrong with it. Simple is…good. I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for MH from now on. But can I rely on you to send anything my way?"

Niro could be my means of getting to the Midnight Huntsmen. If I was enough to interest him at my current level, he'd definitely take interest in Niro too if he saw him in action.

"If you're looking for the sympathetic kind, you're looking in the wrong place. If there's no association or nothing in it for me, then there's no reason for me to even get involved." He explained coldly.

Cold as he was, at least he was being honest. And sensible. I might have to ask Anoel about him when I get the chance...

"Then what would you require from me?" I asked, fairly sure that he would have a price for such help.

"Nothing you currently have to offer."

…

You little…

"You'd be surprised with how many unexpected things I can offer."

If only you met me before I came here…

"Then prove it. Otherwise, it's all of no concern to me." Niro glanced toward the rest of the bar, his eyes dissuading any lingering onlookers to go back to what they were doing and return to their drinks, "I'd recommend you to leave soon. You spooked the whole establishment."

So what? They can deal with it for all I care. Not my fault they scare easily. Well, sort of my fault for this instance.

"Let's see then…" I said, narrowing my gaze behind Niro before my eyes widened when I saw the last drink on the menu, "No… Seriously? I mean, that's not disappointment talking. That's just the bit of surprise in me. That's honestly first on the list?"

"Got a problem with that?"

"Not in the slightest." I honestly answered as I continued staring at the list, "Again, just…wasn't expecting it here of all places… Saké's one of my top favorites aside from whiskey."

"Anything else?"

"Two cups, if you don't mind."

"As long as you're paying..." Niro returned, two empty glasses already resting before me.

"Oh, I'm paying."

He drew out a porcelain container from behind the bar. then poured me two chilled glasses of my final request for the night.

I was feeling nice and friendly, despite how Niro is usually with me, and slid him the other glass as I took the other.

"You paying me to drink my own alcohol?" He asked, eyeing me as I retracted his hand.

He can be a dick, no question about it. But respectable at least.

"I can pretty much tell you wouldn't accept a gesture of goodwill from me. At least, not yet. Or possibly ever. Point is, you'd refuse me outright. For now. So until I in some way prove some form of worth or value to you, this will have to do."

"There's only one person in Remnant I'm actually fond of and respect. Do you really think it'd be feasible to join that person on the list?" He challenged.

"I do. Eventually. As long as the opportunity arises, I'll manage it. You may very well be the chilliest ass I've ever met…but a pretty okay dude overall from what I can tell so far. And in my own way, I respect and recognize your worth as a person, however much I may know currently."

With my words spoken, I slid forward the last of the lien cards I needed to pay Ezdeil for tonight, and he actually took his offered drink up into his hand.

I like making friends, especially respectable ones. Sure, they might be difficult to deal with, like his Iron Frostiness before me, but it's worth it in the end.

Besides...he may not admit it now, but I'm more than certain we have a few things in common.

And so, he and I downed our drinks for the night as I let out another satisfied sigh, placing my cup down on the table. I was about to say something else, but the six chirp tune that was my HoloScroll ringer sounded off once, notifying me of a text.

Crap, it's from Inuba.

"Well, that's my cue to leave." I said standing up from my stool and heading towards the door as I offered Niro a short wave, "See you around."

Of course, he didn't answer. Just went back to his business of cleaning glasses and tending to anyone else's need for drinks.

When I got outside to my car, I lowered the barrier I put around it and got inside, bringing up the Holographic display from my device to see the message.

Apparently she was worried since I didn't check in for a while…

Whoops.

She's going to be a little miffed with me when I get back.

I touched the sides of my checks, letting out a sigh as I prepared them for harsh pinching when I got back to our dorm.

* * *

 **Mystery mystery, who could this new person be? I swear, he and one other character are the last I'm going to introduce for a good while. Just need to get enough "players" on the "board" if you know what I mean. Like with all characters, our friend The Midnight Huntsmen has an important role to play within the story of KoWaB, so keep an eye out for him.**

 **That's virtually all I have to say** **, so with that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Of Shops and Car Chases**

«»

 **(Dante POV)**

The afternoon has not been going well…

"What did you do?!"

"What do you mean 'what did I do'?! I did absolutely nothing!" I replied earnestly to Inuba as she shook my by the shoulders.

"Then why were those men chasing you?!"

That's...something I need to think about myself…

Let's see, I didn't do anything yesterday night after I got back from my "milk-run". I went out shopping for stuff Ciel wanted wanted, and…

…

Oh yeah… That time with Elisia...

"Um… Maybe they have me confused for someone else?"

"They were saying your name, Master!"

"There could've been another Dante."

"They were using your name and pointing directly at you!"

No escape from this one, huh?

"I didn't do anything… At least nothing too bad…"

I felt hands quickly reach out and pinch the sides of my cheeks, stretching them outwards as far as they could without tearing my skin off, which, as you could imagine, hurt like hell. And currently, I was pretending that it wasn't hurting all too much.

"Ow! Alright, I'm sorry!"

"Oh..! What are we going to do?!"

While shaking off the guys in black suits, red ties, and ugly fedoras, Inuba and I quickly slipped in an electronics store, which was impressively stocked with nice tech, and had quite a few spare parts and refurbished goods on the shelves.

Either way, I highly doubt those idiots would come into a store like this.

"Hide in here for a while? The car is in the parking garage a good distance away, and if we're lucky, they're not going to be smart enough to post a man or two on each corner to keep a look out." I said.

My partner finally let go of my cheeks, giving me a rather frustrated pout.

"What? At least we got the ingredients you needed, right? Mission accomplished. Now we just need to pull a quick one and skedaddle."

Taking another look around, I could see various machine parts, circuit boards, and what looked like refurbished Scroll parts. Hmmm… Maybe I should come back here to get the parts I need...

Either way, we were safe, because again, let's face it, a group of morons like them would never think to look in here.

"Is there a back door we can escape through?" My partner asked me as she looked around the store.

"Let's go find out. 'Scuse me!" I said raising my voice slightly to grab the clerk's attention.

The feline-eared attendant redirected her attention to glance at me, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Hm?"

"This might seem like a weird question, but-"

I noticed a very familiar presence within the store, something that felt constantly pissed off, more so than a cat that's been dropped in a bath of water.

Well well, the Tinman of Oz actually leaves his room once in a while...

Just as the presence got closer, both Inuba and I saw Ray Chroma round the corner with his hands tucked away in his pockets, as per his usual walking mannerisms. You'd think with a metal skeleton he'd walk straighter and not hunched like-

…

Begone evil notions.

It wasn't long before Ray turned to face me, a confused frown beginning to form on his face, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Need a new heating element so you can cook toast on the go?"

"No, I'm here due to the concept of free will." he replied, the frown on his face resembling something less confused and more annoyed, "Still doesn't explain why you're here though, with that thing, no less."

"Careful now…" I said walking up to him with a smile, "That thing might just turn you into roast beef by snapping her fingers. And trust me, I've seen Eliminator 2 far too many times to know what happens. You won't be doing a thumbs up while you're melting."

"Whatever, just keep a leash on her and we'll be fine."

I could already feel an intense source of heat building up behind me, turning my head slightly to see Inuba pointing her index finger at Ray with a small sphere of flame resting at her fingertip.

"Oh calm down, you poor insecure animal, it was a joke."

"Perhaps if you spent less time calling me an animal, I'd be less inclined to give you a very painful lobotomy." My partner replied in kind.

Ray rolled his eyes at her response, "If jumping to violence is your preferred method of challenging adversity, I'll just continue to wind you up."

"Well, jumping to violence isn't really a preferred method. If anything, you're kinda asking for it." I replied nudging him with my elbow slightly, "In any case, we're sort of hiding out here for the moment."

"Could've fooled me..." Ray murmured.

"W-Wait, hold up!" the attendant suddenly cut in, raising her hand as she closed her eyes, "What do you mean you're 'hiding out here'? Unless you intend to buy something, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Great...

"Um…" I took a quick glance around to see what I could buy that I actually would sort of need later, and zeroed in on the rack of refurbished Scroll parts, specifically finding a receiver chip for Scroll signals, "I'll take this then and a small period of refuge on the side." I said bringing up the chip.

The black-haired girl deadpanned, "You're not just picking that up to make it look like you're buying something, are you?"

"No, I actually do kinda need this. See, my current Scroll is something I scrapped together on short notice, so I'm looking to improve it soon. Stepping in here actually reminded me of that. So thank you in a way?"

"Yeah yeah, very convincing, but unless you're here to buy more than one small component, I'm still going to judge you internally." the girl replied.

"Come on, you serious?" I said letting out a sigh afterwards.

Alright then, since I'm here and practically being extorted into buying more stuff, I may as well buy a whole refurbished Scroll. I can break that down into parts and use those for extras, additions, etc.

With a black Scroll in my hand, I walked up to the counter with it and placed it on the table, waiting to see what price she'd throw at me.

"Yes, I'm serious. You literally just said you came here to hide out!" the girl replied, "You think I'm going to believe you're here to buy something after hearing that and then watching you pick up a random component?"

"They weren't random picks, they're actual stuff I need but was gonna buy later. So, can I get a price for these already?"

"Sure, 2500 lien, plus a 1000 tip." she replied, a small smirk crossing her lips.

"I'd say not on his life..." my finger pointing out Ray.

To which I got a bright and cheery, "Go fuck yourself…" from the Tinman himself.

"But I figure one of two things would happen afterwards that would result in us going back out through the front door."

The girl placed a hand on her hip as a midnight black tail came into view, just behind her left-hand side, "And those would be..?"

"He'd probably get stones thrown at him, you know, the usual foreigner treatment…" Ray commented idly.

"No, I meant-"

Why am I arguing with Keyboard Cat here?

"Whatever…" I said handing her a few of my Lien cards, "You know why I'm here. What about you? What's your excuse?" Looking to Ray.

"I'm a regular here, not like you'd care to ask." he replied, his eyes narrowing a fraction.

"I meant what're you here for today, Tinman. I already figured you might be a regular here given how chummy you two seem. Well...how chummy you are with him." I said looking towards the clerk, giving a small nod to Ray.

"None of your business, that's what, extraterrestrial."

"For the last time, I'm not a freaking alien."

Did I forget to mention this one has the apparent notion of thinking of me as an alien?

"Keep telling yourself that, Dante." Ray responded, rolling his eyes, "I don't know why my affairs are so interesting to you, but it's getting real annoying."

"I'd figure I'd learn the almighty process of Ray Chroma's engineering skills."

Which is practically true.

Ray just scoffed in return as the clerk handed me my change.

"What might you be designing, Mr. Chroma?" My partner asked as she joined my side after browsing numerous wares around the store.

"A prototype, to keep my partner's impulsive semblance in check, if you must know." he answered, somewhat civilly, though still maintaining his defensive attitude.

Impulsive Semblance… Maybe that weird vibe I got from Scarlet days ago when scanning her Aura Signature? I wonder if her Semblance has any negative outward effects that needs inhibiting… Is it something to be cautious of?

"I see… So, was this your last stop for the day?" I asked him.

"I don't know, Dante. Is this your last stop for the day?" he countered, pulling his hands out of his pockets to pick up the carrier bag full of electronics on the counter.

"I was asking so that you can weasel your way out of paying for airfare back to Beacon or whatever."

"We'd be…delighted, to take you back with us." Inuba added, forcing a smile as best she could.

I could hear the forced tone she had when she said "delighted".

Ray practically chortled at my response, "You think I'd pay for a return trip to that piece of shit?"

"Fine, put in the effort yourself to find a ride back, whatever. So you want a ride, or not?"

The boy let out a sigh from his slightly parted lips, "Since you're so insistent on leaving… Sure, I'll hitch a ride."

He turned to the attendant quietly inspecting her nails behind the countertop, "I'll catch up with you later or something." to which she replied with a single nod and a wink.

"Right then, grab your stuff and let's bounce." I said, immediately remembering why I was here in the first place, "Oh yeah, where's the back door Ms. Extortionist?"

"Out the back, genius." she replied, gesturing her thumb toward an entrance behind her as she still admired her nails.

Ray picked his carrier bag of components up from the counter and gestured for us to follow, "This way, and mind the step."

* * *

One short walk through Mordor later, we found ourselves outside in the alleyway, taking a quick glance around.

"You can hack into the street cams, right?" I asked our very friendly cyborg.

"You're assuming I can hack at all." he replied evenly.

"I am assuming because it'd be pretty stupid if you weren't able to. That, and you're not entirely outfitted for combat as far as I can tell. So yeah, I'm assuming you can hack."

"Then it's a good thing I can then, isn't it?" Ray smirked as he led us through the alley, "What are you looking for?"

"Black suits with red ties and ugly looking fedora hats."

"There's two near the front of the store we left, three loosely hanging around across the street, and one leaning against a parked black van toward the traffic lights at the north end of the road." he replied instantly as he kept walking.

"You sure there aren't any more of them?" I asked Ray as Inuba and I cautiously looked out towards the street, finding all the suits he spotted for us.

"I'm positive, doesn't mean there aren't any waiting around the corner for you, though."

Okay… I pretty much have a path mapped out for us, now all that's left is a little masking.

I quickly pulled up the hood of my grey, cotton hoodie jacket and looked to see Inuba's fox ears and tail vanishing in a short burst of white flame, a thin veil of her pure white Aura forming at the back of her cotton sweater, as she too pulled up her hood.

"Alright, quick like Solid Snake."

Our group of three strolled out into the street, acting as casually as we could, though with Ray, casual and passive was his norm.

"They haven't spotted us yet…" Inuba whispered to me as she kept track of our sides while I kept my focus to the front.

"You keep acting like a pair of paranoid drug addicts and they will. Relax…" Ray murmured in reply.

"Dude, if they have guns, and they happen to shoot the bags of deliciousness we're carrying that took us about an hour to find, my inner murderer is going to be stirred. And trust me, that's never a good thing."

Pissing me, my partner, or my siblings off is like smoking. It's a bad habit that can get you killed. Don't freaking do it.

"Hold hands, it'll make you two look like a couple, plus these idiots have the brains not to draw their guns in a heavily populated area." Ray instructed, "It's only if you make any sudden moves that they'll get suspicious."

"They pulled guns on me the second they could when they saw me. I highly doubt their middle school education is going to make them smart enough not to try and shoot me out in public."

"I'm tracking three police cruisers in a half mile radius of us." Ray countered, "The second they pull their guns out, they'll draw the police like angry hornets."

"You may be right…"

"I-I'm not opposed to Mr. Chroma's earlier idea…" Inuba softly whispered.

"Which one?"

"Hold her hand you goddamn idiot." Ray growled.

Jeez, so mean. I take back what I said earlier about being friendly.

"Alright then." I said extending my hand to my partner, who froze up suddenly.

She was hesitating. Was my palm sweaty?

…

A quick look over told me no.

For a few seconds, Inuba's hand was moving back and forth, as if she was at odds with whatever decision she had in mind.

I guess I have to make the choice then.

Without a moment to lose, my hand moved towards hers and grabbed hold of it as I moved her closer to me.

"There. Inconspicuous disguise complete."

Ray turned to face us momentarily, "Oh, and smile, would you? While we still got something to smile about."

Fake smiling is kind of hard… Though looking at Inuba, I couldn't exactly tell what kind of expressions she was making. All I could see was that her eyes were pretty wide at the moment.

Maybe she didn't like holding hands? Don't worry, it'll all be over soon. Just a few more meters to the parking garage.

"How much further?" Ray asked, looking over his shoulder to see if we we're being followed.

"Well, we're outside the entrance now, and about twenty meters from where I parked the car."

"Good. No more of this cloak and dagger shit."

"You love it. Admit it."

"You don't know me."

"Eh, I know a decent amount so far. Give me a few more days or so and I can guess what you might be having for breakfast in the morning."

Ray rolled his eyes, "For all you know, I could eat batteries."

"I'd actually like to see that. Never seen anyone eat batteries before…"

I mean, I've seen people and things eat a lot of...weird stuff. But batteries? That'd be a first for me.

"I'm sure you would…"

A bit more walking through the concrete parking garage and we found Primarius resting in one of the spaces as we left it. I pressed a button on my small remote for the car to pop the trunk, allowing Inuba and myself to put the grocery bags inside one after the other.

Ray opened the back left door and placed his carrier and messenger bags in the right passenger seat before sitting down.

"Ready when you are, you know, since two of those suited guys have just entered the garage..." he commented as he closed the door.

"Crap… Alright, time to bail."

"Please don't run someone over…" Inuba pleaded as she got in and sat in the passenger seat.

"Hey, I have a spotless record to this day. No accidents, no arrests, nothing. Which is more than what I can say for you when I tried teaching you how to drive."

"You can discuss this later, we need to go, Dante." Ray spoke as he looked out the rear window.

"Yeah yeah..."

Alright… Let's see if watching "Baby Driver" taught me anything.

"Look, if you don't start this fucking car in the next three seconds-"

I shifted the gear in reverse and quickly peeled out of the space given there was no cars around us, then shifted the gear to "S" after taking a quick glance to see if both my partner and the tinman had their seatbelts fastened.

Just in case we get chased or something, I rolled the window down and tapped the side of the door, letting my Aura spill over Primarius, shifting her pure and pristine white coat to pitch black. It wasn't just for cosmetic purposes however.

I took it easy on the gas pedal a little in case someone else tried getting out, which luckily there weren't. Though, when we rounded the corner, we all saw exactly who we were expecting.

And let me tell you, it wasn't Santa Claus like I would've liked.

"Hey! There they are!"

As soon as their hands moved, I floored it directly towards them, making them jump out of the way as I exited the lot and made a sharp turn onto the main street, speeding up just a little bit to move away from the garage. Though, taking a look in the rearview mirror told me they weren't about ready to give up.

A black SUV of sorts, or at least the equivalent of one, sped up to the black suit goons and let them in before they sped off after us.

Damn, just when I thought we'd catch a break…

"Hey, Mr. Roboto, can you hack the traffic light systems and make it green all the way up until 6th Street so we can make a right turn there?"

"You realise they'll also cross the lights, right? I don't know what you did to piss these guys off, but they don't fuck around." Ray responded in kind.

"Well, lets just hope they don't have mad driving skills in GTA."

"Changing the lights in 3… 2… 2… 1… Floor it."

I rolled my eyes at his subtle joke as I stepped on the pedal with a bit more force to make us go faster, all while I darted and weaved between other vehicles in separate lanes to get us ahead faster.

Even so, the SUV was still on us, and I eventually saw them roll down the windows on the passenger sides, allowing two of the suits to stick their bodies out a bit with, oh look, assault rifles.

Yay.

Bullets pinged off of Primarius, leaving not so much as a scratch thanks to the Aura I coated her with just in case they were going to fire at us like they were doing right now.

"Are we-" two bullets cut Ray off as they bounced off of the rear windshield, "going to do anything about these assholes?!"

"I'd shoot Aura Swords at them, but I don't want to hit anyone else, not while I'm driving in a populated area!"

"Wonderful, the one time I don't bring a gun and I end up needing a gun… What's your excuse, Fox?"

My partner said nothing as she held on to the side door handles, letting out a squeal with every sharp turn and pass I made. She was trying to find her happy place at the moment, which wasn't here.

"We don't use firearms at all except my brother, Leonard. Even if Inuba were to use FoxFire Piercer, it'd probably burn straight through the car and hit someone behind the dorks behind us!" I told him as I made a slight turn going right.

"Fuck…" Ray cursed under his breath as his eyebrows furrowed.

He turned around and appeared to analyze the vehicle behind us, something obviously running through his mind as he stared.

"You said you can make 'Aura Swords', right?"

"Yes indeed."

"What else can you make..?" he asked as a bright violet glow emitted from his hand.

"Anything outside of complex machinery. Why?"

The amorphous bundle of hardlight in his right hand slowly shaped itself into a submachine gun, "Can you make bullets?"

…

Oh you clever bastard…

"9mm, full metal jacket."

I snapped my fingers and a pile of twenty nine or so bullets of white and black Aura formed in the pullout armrest's cupholder next to Ray.

Ray held his left hand above the cupholder and his hardlight engulfed the bullets resting inside, each singular strand grasping a single bullet, manipulating them into a straight line as he clenched his fist and formed a magazine.

Once it was constructed, he slotted the clip into the magwell of his hardlight SMG and pulled the slide back, chambering a round.

"Let's see if this works as intended, shall we?" he murmured to himself as he rolled the window down, careful not to poke his head out as several more bullets came flying in our direction.

Ray unbuckled his seatbelt and maneuvered himself so that he was sat on the door itself.

"Keep her steady!" he instructed as he held onto the handle on the inside.

To meet his requirements, I made sure to stay in one lane and sway only just so slightly to throw off their aim so that they didn't hit Ray.

Ray opened fire as soon as he had a clear shot, where I quickly took note that he was specifically targeting the front wheels of the SUV with unprecedented accuracy, blowing out the two front tires with only a few shots.

The car skidded to and fro, threatening to hit the other cars near it. A freak accident was in the works, but I wasn't going to let it happen.

I motioned my the index and center finger of my right hand across my body, and took a quick glance in the rearview mirror to see four of my Aura Sword impact the side of the SUV and sent it barrel rolling into the air.

With the amount of force I put behind the impact, it would be just enough to send the vehicle into the empty lot I spotted to my left.

"Whew… Glad that's…"

"Don't get too comfortable, they've got backup." Ray informed us.

One more glance in the rearview told me this wasn't entirely over, since two more black SUV's were on hot approach.

"Are you kidding me?!" I said letting out a frustrated sigh, "Great…"

See, I had an idea running through my head at the moment. Pretty stupid one, but hey, when are my plans not? Besides, they usually work out in the end.

"You can drive, right?" I asked Ray as he climbed back inside the car, the last of his bullets spent.

"More or less." he replied, consuming the hardlight SMG into his palm, "Why?"

Do I trust him enough?

…

Screw it.

"Don't kill my partner, please." I pleaded as I pressed the button to lower the hardtop roof.

The two large metal pieces that made the roof slide into one another and into a panel near the rear of the car, completely exposing us in the now convertible Primarius.

I hit the button to put the car in cruise mode, which thankfully I found from reading Ross' notes meant the car would drive in a straight line too while keeping a constant speed, unbuckled my seatbelt and hopped into the back seat while Ray took over in the driver's seat.

First thing Ray did was put his seat belt on before a hardlight harness quickly formed around Inuba's body, securing her in her seat.

"E-Eh?! W-What is this?!" Inuba asked wriggling around to free herself.

As Ray's hands found the wheel, he turned to look at her, "He said not to kill you, didn't he?"

"I-It's tight..! And somewhat hard to breathe…"

"Lose some weight then." he commented with a smirk as his foot became very quickly acquainted with the accelerator.

I only shook my head as I heard Inuba growl slightly, the car moving at a faster pace now since fewer cars were on the street.

Alright, time to do my thing.

I extended my right hand outwards as my Longsword formed in my hands with a burst of white and black Aura, where I soon lashed outwards to clear away the rest of the Aura covering it.

Taking careful aim, I straight tossed my sword into the windshield of the frontmost SUV, lodging it between the driver's seat and passenger's seat, where I then leapt out of the car towards the SUV I assaulted, and swiped my right hand across my body, letting out two Aura Swords that pierced the front tires.

I then vanished midair in streaks of white and black Aura, appearing to my longsword I stuck in the windshield of the out of control vehicle.

To the horror of the men inside, I gave them a quick smile and wave before plunging my sword into the hood of the car to kill the engine, which eventually caused the car to flip over with me and the occupants inside.

Instead of joining them, I planted both feet on the hood of the car and kicked off it, sending it flying into an empty parking lot of a fastfood restaurant nearby. Still midair, I straight tossed my longsword into the next and final SUV, hearing gasps from the men inside as the suit in the passenger seat aimed his rifle at me.

Plunging my sword into the hood yet again, my hand shot forward through the windshield as if it were paper and grabbed the neck of the one trying to shoot me.

With a quick pull, I tore him through the windshield and tossed him aside into a cloth awning that killed his fall, but the drop afterwards definitely broke a bone or two when he hit the floor.

I leapt backwards into the air for a brief moment, then brought myself down on the hood of the car with enough force to dent the hood considerably and force the rear end of the car into the air to flip.

Like the SUV before it, I planted my feet on the roof of the car and pushed off it, sending the car flying into another park until it stopped on its nose and slowly tipped over.

Thanks to the force I put into pushing off from the SUV, it was enough to force me back to Primarius' current position on the street, where I saw it slowing down, but speeding up slightly back and forth between the two.

That bastard Ray was trying to throw off my landing trajectory…

Unfortunately for him, I flipped in the air once and landed perfectly in the back seat in a lounging position, let out a sigh of relief.

"That was a nice distraction…"

"Thank goodness you're alright…" Inuba said looking to me with a smile, "Um… Mr. Chroma? May you please undo these bindings?"

"It's called a harness." Ray corrected as the hardlight dissipated, "Calling them bindings sounds suggestive."

"W-What?! N-No, that's not what-!"

My partner was apparently ashamed of herself for some reason given the fact she quickly hid her face behind her hands. What exactly is suggestive about bindings?

Meh, not important.

"DON'T THINK THIS IS OVER YET!"

What in the actual f-

"Oh for God's sake... What now?" Ray muttered to himself disdainfully.

I turned my head around and saw...the very same guy whose nards were epically crushed by Elisia's foot, sprinting towards us like freaking Sonic the Hedge from out of nowhere.

He got close enough to the car whee Ray attempted to slam the brakes and hit him with the rear bumper, but the white suit shifted out of the way towards my side of the car and meant to go straight for Ray.

That was until I planted the sole of my shoe into the side of his face and sent him soaring into a dumpster near one of the alleyways we were about to pass.

"No jaywalking, asshole." Ray idly commented as he continued driving, earning a brief laugh from me.

* * *

Along the way, Ray and I switched seats, allowing me to drive once more as we made it back to Beacon safely and without any further...interruptions.

I slowed to a halt near the curb of a rather luxurious hotel… What business might you have here Ray? Are we meeting with a secret wealthy lover? Or..?

Ray opened the passenger door and grabbed his things, throwing his messenger bag over his shoulder as he shut the door.

The hotel was lined with decorative trees, flower beds, and shrubbery, flanking the lit granite pathway toward the lobby.

"Thanks for the ride." Ray said as he stood on the sidewalk.

"Anytime. Though, just to clarify, this isn't a usual thing. You know, with people chasing me down and trying to kill me. Maybe."

"You know what? I'll remember that the next time you get into trouble and drag me along." Ray replied sardonically, "I hope my driving didn't shake your pet up too much, I can be a little…heavy on the gas."

"Heavy doesn't even describe it... " I said letting out a sigh, "See you tomorrow."

"Don't bet on it..." he called as he turned on his heel and gave a two finger salute.

"Right… Later then."

I shifted the gear and took off from the hotel drive-in, turning back onto the street with the evening sun behind us as we went.

"Well… That was certainly an...eventful experience…"

"Honestly, I didn't think people would come after me…"

"Why were they after you in the first place, Master?"

"Well… Remember a while ago how I went out shopping at night for soda and all that? Well, I helped a person out who was being harassed by white suit, and it's safe to say I wiped the floors with them epically. I didn't think they'd remember me… Or you know, the fact that they were in a gang or whatever."

"Master…" my partner let out with a disappointed sigh.

"What? I thought he was one of those touchy, douchey players that can't take no for an answer."

She kept her piercing gaze on me, keeping her arms crossed until she let out a sigh and leaned back into the comfy black leather seat.

By now I already restored Primarius' color back to the main body color of white with some black edges and highlighting, that way in case cops came looking for us for some reason, they wouldn't be able to find us. Nor would those douches if they decided to come after us again.

"In any case, I doubt they'd try something like that again. At least, for a good while anyway."

"I understand you were protecting someone else...but please, try to stay out of trouble."

"Heh… Trust me, I always try to steer clear…" I said while making a right turn onto the cliffside road leading back to Beacon.

Night was virtually upon us at this point as I drove on the road near the vast lake beneath us. It shimmered with the light of the shattered moon above us, its light cascading into the small forest area below us.

"It's beautiful...isn't it?" my partner asked, drawing my attention to her.

"Yeah…"

My gaze remained on her, watching as strands of her snow white hair fluttered gently in the night breeze as she stared out at the lake, her ears moving side to side a bit.

"It is…"

As soon as she made to turn back fully into her seat, I was already face forward again, keeping my eyes entirely on the road, where they should have been in the first place.

"By the way, what were all these ingredients for that you had me grab for you?"

She giggled a bit before saying, "It's a surprise."

"Surprise huh? Can't wait…"

* * *

 **Bit more of just interaction with other characters this time around, but we'll be moving ahead with more plot related matters next chapter. Plus, we wanted to do a sort of car chase anyway.**

 **That's virtually all I have to say** **, so with that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Of Forge Rooms and Head Rubs**

«»

 **(Dante POV)**

Walking… I kept walking on and on through this...shattered, broken city… Cracked roads, demolished buildings and sites... Ash floating and sifting through the pitch black sky like snow in the winter…

Where was this?

This wasn't Vale. Nothing here resembled Vale in the slightest. Or any city for that matter. Not even anything from Primordial…

So then...why did walking through this cracked, crushed city give me an overwhelming sense of nostalgia?

As I continued through the city, I eventually came upon a large expanse of the town, presumably it's center. And before it, a long winding road reaching towards...something shrouded in fog further in the distance.

What was that place? What was this place?

Everything soon faded away until nothing but darkness surrounded me. And below my feet...water… Each step I took on the black, watery surface, small ripples formed before settling after a short second or two. Then it occurred to me to look down, and beneath me…

My reflection was that of my Shadow Skin, moving as I did to perfectly mirror my movements. I knelt down slowly, my hand steadily reaching for the water's surface to touch it, ripples forming from my fingertips making contact. Then it stopped. And it wasn't just the ripples that stopped. It was my reflection.

It tilted its head sideways, as if taking note of me and determining that I was real, that I was actually present. And then, from beneath the surface, the shadowy, clawed hand reached out from the water and grasped my arm, pulling part of my arm below the surface as I struggled to pull back. But my shadowy reflection refused to let go. It knew I was here, and because it knew, it was like it was trying even harder to pull me under. And for a moment, I thought it would pull me under completely.

But soon enough...I broke free.

* * *

I was brought back to reality as my hand moved upwards and chopped through a thick sheet of metal holding up a cluttered row of parts. Looking around, I remembered that I entered the Forge Room and locked myself in the storeroom, working on plans for a little side project I suddenly thought of. I was in the process of designing it, but I closed my eyes for a few seconds and then...I was walking through that broken city…

I looked over my design plans once more, and from the looks of it, almost finished up before I...drifted off I guess..?

Before I could think of anything else, the shelf I accidentally karate chopped folded inwards on itself and dropped all of the parts on top.

On my head.

Numerous heavy, metallic pieces fell on my head within an instant, making me let out a groan of annoyance with myself instead of pain.

"Well, I'm certainly not taking credit for breaking this…"

Letting out a sigh, I stood up from the desk inside the storeroom and carefully looked over the parts I could see in my area, determining what I needed. Eventually, I had a large pile of parts stacked upon each other in my left hand, forming a pile large that it rose above my head level even.

Before I took a step out, I suddenly remembered what transpired before I chopped the shelf, that place I was in…

The hand that grabbed me…

…

Nothing more than a bad dream. This is one of the reasons why I don't ever sleep, or doze off for that matter…

Instead of being dragged down by it, I let my inner Jack Skellington take hold, despite it being nowhere near Christmas time.

But who the hell cares?

As soon as I pressed the button to open the door lock, I stepped outside the door and broke out into song.

"What's this? What's this? There's color everywhere!" I sand, my voice filling the once silent room, tuned to the steps of my feet as I made my way towards the few steps that led down to the main floor, "What's this? There's something in the air! What's this? I can't believe my eyes, I must be dreaming, Wake up, Dante, this isn't fair! What's thi-?!"

Another flash from before, my arm remembering the powerful grip of my shadowy reflection that grabbed hold of me. Even though momentary, it was enough to distract me and make me misplace my step down the stairs, which in turn made me take a swan dive of epic proportions into the floor below. Everything I carried suddenly flipped into the air as my body crumpled and thumped harshly down the stairs until I eventually flopped on my back.

Somewhere, somehow, I could hear the shutter of a camera just as the parts I carried in my hand fell down on me with a loud crash, a few of those pieces covering my head.

"Erm…are you…alright?" I heard a voice ask.

I sat there, trying to remember whose voice that was until I realized it was actually Arex of Team ELAA. I guess she likes forging too.

See, back in Primordial, I was always too busy with my work to do anything extracurricular, like metalworking, forging, making cool tech, etc. I only ever had time to do small upgrades and the like, but never anything too serious like I can do now. Now? I had all the free time I could ever want and more, not having to worry the ridiculous responsibilities I used to have.

A poke to my cheek snapped me out of my train of thought for a few moments, enough to realize the three tailed kitsune of ELAA, Kitsuki, was the one who had poked me.

"Is he dead?" the familiar voice of Ray called out, forcing me to see front he corner of my eyes that he stepped around from his work station.

Kitsuki just quietly stared at me before she sat herself down on the ground, tails sweeping back and forth against the floor behind her as she shook her head no in response and waited, continuously poking me in the cheek.

I think she was waiting for me to register her poke… Which I was, but I felt like sitting here a bit longer.

Even I get lazy sometimes.

"I guess not…" Ray murmured as he crouched down beside her, "But we can drop more stuff on top of him just to make sure."

As he said that, he dropped a titanium ingot I picked out onto the center of the pile, causing a couple loose pieces to shift. Normally that would have hurt anyone else.

But I'm not anyone else.

Kit poked me again, but I soon suddenly shot up, snapping into a sitting position and firing some of the debris on top of me into the far wall.

"My digital watch processes information faster than you, Dante." Ray deadpanned, standing back up as I looked around me, taking note that Arex, Ray, Kitsuki and I were the only ones in the forge room.

"Please tell me nobody kissed me..." I jokingly asked.

"Not in this fucking lifetime..."

"Good. And that wasn't me processing information from falling and stuff. I just…got into the mood of thinking of other things for a minute. Like the meaning of life. Why do we wear two socks and not three? And how come graham crackers are more addicting than drugs? Especially the cinnamon flavored ones. You know, the important stuff."

I had to give them something.

Though, that last part sparked a little interest in Kit's eyes.

"42, convenience, and additives." Ray listed off evenly.

"Whelp…" I said looking at my pile, "This is a downright mess now..."

"You're bleeding..." Kitsuki signed out with her, shifting up onto her knees to lean behind me to try and find an injury on the back of my head.

Little did she know that there wasn't going to be one.

"He heals." Arex informed, catching her partner's focused attention and getting her to sit back on her ankles with a nod.

"Wow, magic…" Ray commented sarcastically, his voice virtually dead.

Kitsuki smiled amusedly at Ray's response to my ability to heal instantaneously, reaching down to try to pick up one of the ingots on the ground that I picked up.

Well…'try' was the keyword here. The ingot was pretty large. And heavy.

I watched her for a few moments as she tried to tip the object up to get her fingers under it, where I was actually hoping to see if she'd actually do it. Ray used his vibrant purple hardlight to branch out across the floor and sweep beneath the objects littering the ground, moving all of them and restacking them into a neat pile back in my lap.

That only left the ingot Kitsuki was trying so hard to pick up.

"You can do it. Any day now. Sometime this century would be nice too…" Ray said, standing back up as the girl struggled.

"What about the ones across the room?" I asked, my inner laziness hoping to get Ray to pick up the rest.

"Not my problem." Ray said waving off my question.

Damn…

Wait...this guy's afraid of water, right?

Hehehehe… I am very despicable at times...

"Maybe I should go find a glass of water…" Dante smiled, "I'm awfully thirsty. Like...really really thirsty."

Ray only rolled his eyes in slight annoyance to that.

That's right Tinman, I remembered.

Kitsuki silently pointed up toward the sky after I said that, the cascade of pelting water against the forge's exterior walls suddenly filtering in again.

"Just kidding, I was only messing with him." I said playing off Ray's weakness of sorts, "He likes other drinks besides water, especially since he doesn't like how water tastes. He's very ashamed of it."

The kitsune mouthed a quick 'oh', her tails settling back down behind her and ceasing their movement.

"Says the one who crashed and burned during a musical solo."

"That last step before taking my oh so glorious swan dive was sort of loose, okay?"

Can't tell them I blanked or whatever. They might force me to go get checked out. Well, maybe Kitsuki or Arex would. Not Ray. He's kind of a jerk.

And by kind of, I mean a huge one. Like huger than-

Not finishing that sentence.

"The last non-existent step was loose? If you say so."

"Walking on air's pretty tough. It takes a few tries." Arex commented from behind, a small flutter of amusement in her voice before she switched her focus from us back to her project.

Little do you know little bird, I actually used to be able to do that.

Man...I actually miss doing that… It was seriously convenient for getting around...

Kitsuki eventually gave up on picking up the ingot, which forced me to get up and pick it up, but I sword I could feel her gaze on me. Was she looking for something?

Wait… I actually remembered… She likes cinnamon, right? And I actually have a box of cinnamon flavored Graham Crackers on me.

"Hungry?" I asked, glancing over to meet her gaze, "Or just wanting to satiate your gluttonous craving for cinnamon?"

She silently nodded to both with a meek smile.

"Here then. Have the whole box if you'd like." I said, reaching into my bag and grabbing a box of unopened, cinnamon graham crackers.

With a cautious glance and a small, tiny sniff to make sure the box had nothing wrong with it, Kitsuki lightly took the snack box from my hands and wandered back to Arex's station, getting a small roll of the eyes from her partner.

"So Tinman..." I asked standing back on my feet and holding the pile of towering materials in my left hand for a moment, looking around for a free forge, "Where are you set up?"

"The one with the stool." Ray replied, gesturing to the other side of the room, "away from danger."

"Awe, you took the one I wanted..." I said, heading off toward the back side of the forge, between Arex's and Ray's forge stations, "Wait… Danger?"

What was so dangerous that-?

…

Does he mean Arex? Now why exactly would she be dangerous? Come to think of it, she did some nice damage against the Hydra before we stepped in. That alone speaks volumes of her potential. But did Ray do something to make her angry? She doesn't seem like the type to anger at all, more like the timid and antisocial type if anything…

"What'd you mean by 'danger'?" I asked, "Did you do something you shouldn't have? Prank gone wrong?"

"No comment." Ray said placing his hands inside his jean pockets and walked back toward his workstation.

"Now now, don't be shy," I spoke after him, eyeing him curiously, "Share with the class today."

"No."

"Spoilsport…" I replied with a sigh before taking a glance toward Arex, "So, what'd he do?"

She shrugged at me, only partially paying attention to the only conversation taking place inside the room as she finished the final few minuscule pieces to her current part.

From the looks of it, I think she was working on processors...

"Something happened between him and my sister. I didn't ask for the details." Arex replied absently, glancing over to Kit for a moment to see her partner's gaze watching her work.

Her sister...

Oh, she means Anoel.

…

Oh… Oh! Ray, you idiot.

I began chortling before breaking out into laughter, kicking my feet slightly as I tried to imagine how Ray got his ass kicked by Anoel.

"That was your first mistake, Tinman. I'm actually surprised and amused."

You'd think someone like Ray would be smart enough to not mess with a person like Anoel. Hell, even I don't want to mess with that woman… She's all kinds of scary to me...

"Lighten up." I said with a tilt of my head, shrugging my shoulders before heading off to the empty station, "The fact you're here, breathing and with all your limbs, means she only roughed you up a bit. Maybe."

Ray's single glance told me that was the case.

"Still, I can pretty much imagine your pants being a few pounds heavier after having a 'talk' with her. I get the feeling she can be pretty convincing when she's scary."

I've known people like Anoel for a long time now. Hell, I had someone like her on my old team when I worked with the CGA in Primordial, a sort of government agency tasked with defending the kingdoms. Freya was a handful, and pretty scary at times, but she was fun to work with, and most importantly, completely reliable.

I can only hope I would eventually get along well enough with the members of ELAA. Maybe not with Niro, but more than likely with Arex, Kitsuki and Anoel.

Well, here's to hoping to for a bright future together as friends…

* * *

My method of working was different compared to most people. I did a lot of what others deemed as unnecessary actions in between, for instance, sitting on my wheeled stool and spinning around in it while I worked, the cylindrical tool in my left hand crackling with white sparks as I worked on my "project". Though, spinning around in my stool wasn't the only thing I was doing.

I was singing another song.

"You know that I can't smile without you, can't smile without you." A quick triple twirl of the tool between my fingers and the sparks ignited once more when the tip made contact with the metallic disk, "I can't laugh and I can't sing. I'm finding it hard to do anything."

I then leaned back fully until I was completely horizontal on the stool, still spinning while crossing a leg over my knee.

"You see I feel sad, when you're sad. I feel glad, when you're glad. If you, only knew, what I'm going through..."

Then, I quickly sat back up straight and raised the handle and tool overhead, "I can't just smile without you!"

The rest I hummed to myself while continuing my spin, not getting dizzy in the slightest.

Mid spin, I took a glance around the room, and between spins, I could see Arex hard at work, her focus sharper than a blade as she worked away diligently. And Ray… Well, Ray was doing his own thing. But he was doing something at least. Now then, that left…

…

Where was the small fluffy one?

I looked around everywhere I could while spinning around and continued humming my song, looking for any trace of a small lithe girl with white hair, fox ears, and a fox tail, seeing nothing of the sort in any direction.

Did she leave the room? No, not possible. I would've noticed if she left the room, no matter how silently the doors would have opened to mask the noise of her leave.

Hmmm... Maybe she's hiding herself to try and spook me?

I closed my eyes and focused, slowing my breathing as I saw flickers of Aura. From Arex, I could see her Aura was a bright orange, flickering about her person flame. From Ray, I could see vibrant purple, only they flowed about him in digitized streams resembling clustered circuit patterns.

And…

…

What the hell..?! That's..! Where is she?!

My head turned in numerous directions as I spun, attempting to pinpoint where she might be. Was she moving too fast for me trace? That could be possible…

Wait, I think I know what she's doing…

It's been a while, but let's see how close I can get without her noticing.

One of my spins put me close to the edge of my table so that I could drop my tools on it, freeing my hands up so I can reach behind me and flip backwards out of my stool and into the air. I landed in the estimated target zone I set for myself with a silent thud, slowly walking up to my table as I finally saw Kitsuki appear before me from thin air.

So I was right… She was using an ability that quote unquote "erased" her existence. It's why I couldn't see her or sense her. Normally if her Semblance simply turned her invisible or allowed her to blend in with her surroundings perfectly, I still would have been able to sense her, now matter how terrible my Aura Sensing is. But the fact I could neither see nor sense her tipped me off to her Semblance being as such.

I can't wait to see the look on her face when she realizes I'm not in my chair, especially since she was searching through my bag currently. Was she looking for my Graham Crackers? She could just ask me, I'd happily give her as many boxes as she wanted. Though, maybe she was testing out her Semblance on me, seeing if it worked.

Truthfully, it did work. I wasn't able to see her or sense her at all. The only reason I was able to guess that "erasing" her existence was her Semblance was because I've run into someone in the past that had an ability similar to hers. Not exactly the same, but it still shares some similarities. The extensive battle I underwent was ingrained deep within my mind, making me remember the entirety of the fight and the abilities used down to the last second of the battle.

There's no way in hell I'd forget something like that.

Oh, looks like she's noticed I'm missing given that she's frantically looking around. Guess it's time to say hello.

I made a subtle tapping noise to make her aware that I was behind her as I lowered myself into a squat, cupping my hands around my eyes to form a mock pair of binoculars.

The kitsune's tails went rigid as she spun around and fell back on her butt, staring at me in alarm.

"Good evening." was all I said.

Kitsuki clutched her KitKat tightly to her heart, blinking silently as she supported herself on her one free hand.

Let's mess with her a little bit longer.

"The little kitsune has taken note of the hunter, possibly fearing for the chocolatey and cinnamony goodness in her hands. And possibly soul," I said, hands still in place over my eyes.

The small, awkward gleam in Kitsuki's eyes reflected back at my own in a narrowing, confused gaze before the kitsune took a silent breath to calm herself down, realizing she wasn't in any danger. She then quietly pulled her knees in a little as she curled her tails around her legs, softly wrapping her lower half in a white, fluffy embrace as she pouted at me

…

That's honestly so adorable I almost feel bad.

Almost.

"Sorry sorry, I couldn't help my childish tendency right there to scare you a bit. The temptation was too strong to resist." I said, offering her a hand.

She didn't wanna take it. Not right now anyway.

Okay, now I'm actually sorry.

"Please don't scare me like that again..." she signed out with her hands.

"Again, very sorry." I said, slamming me head into the floor in an apologetic bow, "I will compensate with my life if you see fit."

With how she looked at me, I think she was actually considering what she could do with that.

"Graham crackers." she signed simply, then pointed to my bag.

"Understood your majesty." I replied respectfully.

My hands quickly reached inside my bag and pulled out four more boxes of graham crackers to offer them to her with a bow as if she were a queen. I could hear her tails softly unraveling from her legs, an unsure look falling over her face again before she giggled lightly.

I can tell she like being pampered on occasion.

But… she reached a slim hand forward and plucked only one of the boxes from my hands, setting that beside her as she stuck her KitKat back into her mouth to sign again.

"I just wanted one."

"Grievance compensation is included. Besides, I have a whole cupboard of them back in our room that's restocked every week. So it's fine."

Kitsuki bit her lip, as if wondering how anyone could even have such a large stock, or even needed one.

Aside from Inuba's cooking, Graham Crackers are the only thing I eat that I can taste and enjoy. Hence why I have a whole cupboard of them.

"Thank you…" she signed, then paused for a moment before continuing, "It's just for tonight. Arex looked like she was getting hungry, so I started looking around for something we could share."

"Well, for me personally those function really well as a late night snack and fill up someone really well. Then again… I don't get hungry really so I wouldn't entirely know."

SHe gave me a simple nod before picking up her new box of crackers and gave me a grateful smile, lightly flicking her bundle of tails behind her and perking her ears to show her thanks.

"Aww~ So cute… You're just like my partner when she's in a good mood."

Kitsuki smiled in return to the comment, her tails swaying a little more lively now as she tilted her gaze at me, wordering of something...

Wait, did she think..?

"Ah, don't get me wrong or anything. She's pretty much in a good mood always. Except when I do something naughty. Then she pinches my cheeks, which kinda hurts. But then she's in a good mood again right after."

Still, I was interested in her Semblance. Maybe she'd tell me a thing or two?

"Your Semblance is pretty interesting. First variation of yours I've seen of its type with a singular effect. Very useful. And better compared to the rest I've seen. Train harder and you'll be even more amazing in time."

Remnant has some incredible thins about it in comparison to Primordial and some of the other Worlds. For instance, I didn't have to hide my powers or abilities or the like. No need for a secret identity, which was somewhat annoying at times. In a way, I kinda preferred this World more so. Especially since his Royal Assness, the Commander of the Holy Pidgeons up in the Heavens is a complete and absolute-

Kitsuki set her things back down on my workstation and placed her KitKat on top of her new box in order to reply to me, which snapped me out of my short mental rant.

"It's not really that amazing. It didn't even work on you..." she signed out with a frown.

Well...

"Now now, replace that frown with a smile. It is actually amazing. And can be so much more. It did work on me at first…but... To be perfectly honest, I'm practically what's considered a freak of nature, so a lot of things won't work on me all too well."

"Does that mean you're not ticklish?"

"N-No! Definitely not!" I replied quickly, earning a quizzical look from her.

I can't begin to describe to you the horrendous torture I endured from tickling...

"Okay. Well… you don't seem like a freak to me."

"That's sweet of you. But some others would strongly challenge you on that. They would probably lose to you in the face of your fluffy might."

Angels and Dark Entities falling under the heel of a small kitsune... Kitsuki and Mai, Inuba's little sister, could be friends and dominate the universe.

"I'll keep training it." she signed reassuringly, "Do you think it'll eventually work on you some day?"

"It could very likely be the case. There's a constant stream of unknown's out there. Anything could change just like that." I said, snapping my fingers quickly, "Whether or not the changes are good is up to you entirely. In short, I believe that it could very likely work."

"I'll…keep that in mind." Kitsuki replied, a delicate brow furrowing for a moment before she took up her sweets and gave me another thankful smile.

Again, to reiterate, it did work on me. And I would have never been able to guess what your Semblance was had I not encountered someone like you in the past. But the gaze she gave me expressed her doubt in my words, though, I didn't exactly know what it was she was doubting.

Was it my words? Or was she doubting herself?

"Hey, don't doubt yourself ever. I have this funny thing about how I see people. Looking at you, you definitely are strong. And you'll be even stronger as time goes by. So, in short, trust yourself and your feelings. You'll go many a place."

You could be the weakest person in the entire universe and eventually grow into someone very strong. This occurrence was as rare as a blue moon, but still possible.

She calmly nodded her head to what he said to show that she took in his words.

"And one more thing. Don't let anyone bring you down. Especially because you're a cute and fluffy kitsune. Honestly, I can't even imagine how someone could be so mean to someone so adorable…"

If I recalled, Cardin was starting to pester her a bit. And by a bit, I mean a lot. He's already messing with Jaune and few others, but I heard of more particular cases involving a rabbit Faunus known as Velvet, and soon after a case or two involving Kitsuki.

"I've noticed Cardin being not so nice to a lot of other students recently. Especially towards students that are Faunus. So if he's being a real jerk to you or anything, just call over your faithful manservant Dante to take care of him. I'll be over real quick to sort him out."

Being who I am, dealing with bullies never has been a problem really. All one has to know is in what manner to deal with them. And when it comes to bullies, there's various different means and methods.

"There's no shame in askiing for help really. Even I need help myself now and then."

I learned that lesson the hard way...with very harsh pinching from my partner.

"Or you could deal with them yourself. That's also okay, even if people say otherwise."

Kit silently nodded, clasping her box beneath her chin to hold it in place before sticking her KitKat in her mouth to make a quick response.

"Thank you for the offer. I'll keep that in mind too."

"Alrighty then. May I?" I asked, motioning my hand to give her a head rub.

I never asked Inuba for this sort of thing, mainly because I think she wouldn't exactly let me. Maybe I should try one of these days?

Kit glanced up for a moment before nodding fervently, ears fluttering for a moment in preparation for any kind of touch. I slowly reached forward and gently rested my hand on her head, watching her for a moment as she closed her eyes and brushed the sides of my hand with her ears, tickling me slightly.

I couldn't stop the small smile on my face as I gave the hair between her ears a soft rub, sliding my fingers over as well to give the bases of her ears a brief scratch before pulling back.

"Aha, you're too cute and fluffy. I might actually die."

Kit's eyes quietly opened back up as she flicked one of her ears, "Don't die. Inuba needs you."

...

For once, I didn't exactly know how to respond to something like. Except for what the normal answer would be of course.

"You're right. She'd be pretty upset with me if that happened."

The kitsune nodded with a proud affirmation, as if her point was proven right then and there, turning to glance at me a final time for the night before signing out "So don't die."

* * *

 **That's all for this week** **, so with that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

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 **Bye-bye now!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Of Mysteries and Demonstrations**

«»

 **(Inuba POV)**

"How?!"

"How what?" Master asked Ciel in return.

"How did you get that mahoosive score for the tourney?!"

"Because I'm good and I wreck scrubs for a living?"

Master and his siblings very much enjoy passing their time with a game on their Scrolls called Phantom Souls 3. I may not play this game, but I realized something after Master was quote unquote "invaded" for the first time.

In acts of desperation, or something along those lines, many people are going to use whatever "builds" possible simply to gain a victory. This ranges from weapons, to spells, to miracles, even hulking armor that prevents a player from being staggered by attacks easily.

This "game" seemed to be very enjoyable, but I'm not sure how well I would do if I played it… The only games I have ever played in my life was a game involving various shapes and needing to fit them together to eliminate rows of other shapes, and this "Words with Friends" game I played on occasion with Master and the twins.

"I didn't even use an overpowered build. I just kept it simple." Master replied as we continued walking down the hall to our class.

"Define simple." Leonard asked.

"I just used the Black Knight set. Black Knight armor, Black Knight shield, and the Black Knight greatsword, glaive, axe and ultra greatsword. I swapped weapons between matches now and then, but my main weapon usually was the ultra greatsword."

"You just did it for the uber poise, didn't you?" Ciel said punching her elder brother in the shoulder.

"No, I used the build because in all of the Souls games, Black Knights have been the most epic and badass NPCs ever. I cringed a little every time I saw one because they could practically brutalize me into oblivion if I made one mistake. That, and it used to be what I was before Remnant."

Ah yes, Master's old moniker, The Black Knight of Primordial. He was garbed in black and did wear portions of blackened armor, so it was a very fitting name.

"Oh yeah, when you were prancing around like a superhero or something…"

"Which is true if you think about it." Leonard stated for Ciel, "But still, eighty eight victories and only one loss… I don't think anyone in the entire event managed a score that large…"

"No one is as insane as big brother Leo."

It's...amusing to hear what people say of Master's feats, be they silly things like with this game or in real life situations. The general consensus is that he is insane in some way, shape or form.

But I assure you, he's perfectly sane. I did the evaluations myself once I learned how to do so.

And yes, it was as unbiased as possible.

"Hey, did you guys hear anything about Kitsuki lately?" Ciel asked, drawing us to her attention.

"Other than Cardin messing with her? No, not really." Master replied as we continued walking as both he and Ciel continued playing their game on their holographic screens.

"Apparently she had a partner during initiation before she got paired with that Arex girl. Some hotshot from Vacuo called Maroon Alister."

"What happened to him?" I asked.

"I heard of this too… He apparently died during initiation."

He...died..?

"H-How..?" I asked softly in response to Leo's statement.

"A pack of Beowolves. Guess he wasn't as much of a big shot as others hyped him up to be…"

"That or he was injured before the pack got to him…" Master cut in, "This Alister guy may not be Pyrrha Nikos famous or as skilled, but if he was well known, there's no way a simple pack of Beowolves can take him out, not even if they were trying to pull a sneak attack. Which leaves...only one conclusion…" he finished with a strained tone as his button pressing increased in speed.

"Which is what? He was having an off day? Got cocky?" Ciel asked.

"No… It means someone got to him before the pack of Beowolves did him in."

"You mean to say this was done intentionally..?!" I asked in a surprised yet hushed tone.

"Don't know for certain, but it is a possibility someone had malicious intent. I mean, it would be an opportune time to take advantage and kill him during that period of time, or at least weaken him so the Grimm can do it."

"But...who could have done such a thing?" I asked him.

"Maybe someone who was jealous or had a grudge or something. Don't really know."

"Man big brother, if you had a normal life or whatever you'd be a police detective or something."

"Well, that's what I was shooting for before I left Primordial. That or be a personal guard for someone important."

That's right… I had almost forgotten… Sir Blanc, who would soon become the ruler of the Central Kingdom in Primordial at the time had offered Master a position as his bodyguard… But...those last few months before we left…

"Though if I were going to be a detective they would have issued me a gun or something. And as you all know, I'm not exactly a fan of guns despite being able to use them. But then again, if I did convince them to let me use a sword… Eh, the past is the past. Nothing to do about it." Master said as we all opened the door to our next class.

Now that I recall, I remember hearing that Kitsuki nearly died from blood loss due to the numerous injuries on her body… She must have been able to escape from the pack, but not before suffering injuries of her own. How terrible…

"You look like you're deep in thought." Master said holding the door open for me, not taking his eyes off his game at all.

"I… I was just thinking of Kitsuki during initiation…"

"Ah, that's right. She was badly injured during initiation…"

Glancing at him, I could tell he was thinking of something. But his theory…

"Do you really think someone intentionally did such a thing to that boy?"

"Well, it's a high probability that was the case. But…"

"But..?"

"Truthfully Inuba? I think that guy was in the way."

"Then...that would mean… Kitsuki was the target..?"

"I don't honestly know, but I think it really suspicious she escaped with her life while her partner didn't, especially since they would have stuck together. If something was done to immobilize her partner, it should've been the same for her, therefore making them both perish. But Kitsuki was able to get out, and with technical minor injuries, but enough to make her nearly suffer from blood loss and possibly die. If someone was aiming to kill students, they would have targeted both Kitsuki and Maroon, therefore making them both perish in the process. Again, Kitsuki was the only one to make it out, even if it was just by the skin of her teeth."

While absorbing all this information, a chill ran down my spine, my eyes widening with shock at the sudden realization of a potential scenario.

"You don't think..?!"

She… She couldn't do something so vile..!

"Hrmmm… Hard to say really. I've only met her twice to be honest, and that was when we visited her and her team with baked goods and in the forge room a good bit ago. My first impression of her ever was that she was timid, reluctant to reach out to strangers, especially those she can't entirely trust on the spot. Truthfully…"

She couldn't have done something like that…

"I'm not entirely sure she was responsible."

My head jolted upwards at my Master's statement, a smile of relief forming on my face.

"But I can't entirely exclude her out of the equation either."

We continued walking up the steps slowly, side by side to join Leo and Ciel high above, my eyes trailing the steps a few moments longer before they fell on Master once again.

"With a situation as delicate as this, I know you wouldn't do so easily. But… I honestly don't believe she was the one who did it."

"You are more than likely correct Inuba. But the one thing you and I can't deny is that she's at center of it somehow. She may or may not have done the deed, but she herself could be the reason it was done."

"But why would she be the reason the deed was done? Could she possibly be of far greater importance than we know of currently?" I asked.

"I don't think so. Her mannerisms, general posture and overall gestures don't seem to imply of her being from a family with high social status or something similar. Then again, she could be trying to hide it. Point is…" Master said as he closed his holographic screen, "I'm going to have to get to know her better. Especially since I'm going to take on the case and figure it out myself."

There it was… That warm smile of his and his resolve to help another person… It's truly one of the many things I admire him for…

"I may have only known her basically for a good while, but I consider her and her team friends. Well, maybe not Ezdeil, but Arex and Anoel. In any case, I'm kind of excited really."

"Why's that?" I asked slightly confused by his statement.

"It's been a good while since I've taken on a complex case to solve. And it gives me something to work towards on the side. After high school, homework just doesn't cut it anymore as a means to occupy my time."

"I can see that." I said with a giggle, remembering how often master complained about the many various aspects of high school life, "But you have the forge room now, yes? Surely activities there would occupy your time."

"They would. But not always. Got to do other things too so I don't get bored so easily. Because if I do get bored, I might just find a way to conjure up Cthulhu for a nice chat."

"What?! You wouldn't! After the effort we put in to send him to his home realm?!" I asked with hushed shock.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. It's a joke. No way that I'd want to deal with Squid-face again after all that…" he said shutting off his screen at last as he shuffled himself into one of the long table-stands next to Ciel and Leonard.

Honestly, he worries me sometimes. Usually there's nothing to fear, things of this sort I can easily understand as humor on his part. Though...I have seen what he can do to relieve himself of boredom. And that alone is very likely why some people consider him insane.

"Hey there. How's the day been so far?" I heard him call out to someone behind us.

Turning my head, I saw hims speaking with Kitsuki. If what he said was true about Kitsuki being the reason behind the death of another student, or at the very least the center of it, then getting to know her better would be the most logical way to determine her position in the matter. That, and it would hopefully clear her of any potential wrongdoings.

I honestly believe she wasn't involved in the slightest. But as Master said, there could be a chance she herself was the cause.

From what I saw, Kitsuki simply gave him a tired shrug. She looked as though she'd rather be sleeping right now more than anything. Which is fine, of course. We could all do with more sleep in our lives to be well rested.

If only Master would take that into consideration now and then...

"Still a bit tired I see. That's alright."

Looking around, I saw the classroom filling up quickly with students, meaning the class would be starting soon. I haven't heard much of this class other than the professor is supposed to be new and that he's very skilled in his area of expertise.

From what I did see, I found ms. Arex and Anoel sitting next to Kitsuki, ms. Arex seemingly working on something in her notebook. Further below us by a row, I could hear and feel the blatant sarcasm that personified Ray Chroma. As per usual, he was complaining about being annoyed, or something of the sort.

Just thinking his name reminded me of the embarrassment I suffered at his hands when he tore the front of my kimono. While the black nylon-spandex undershirt I wore was still intact and unscathed, it was rather embarrassing to have "them" pop out slightly given that the size of my bust is rather large

Honestly… My families' genetics are bothersome sometimes… Though, I don't mind it all too much. After all… I'm very certain Master is in some way drawn to those with larger busts… I know now and then in certain situations he takes notice given how quickly he looks away. That has to be a sign...yes?

My fox ears flicked suddenly after picking up footsteps approaching our classroom, the door opening as whom I assumed to be our professor stepped inside. The rest of the students continued their chatter, even after he walked in.

He was tall, very likely around 6'2, and wore a dark blue collared dress shirt, the lapels of the collar longer than what one would normally see from a dress shirt. Black trousers fitted his legs along with black dress shoes just beneath them. a white belt holding everything up. A glint of light silently glimpsed over his silver buckle as my eyes wandered up to see he was wearing a black leather cowboy hat with a white band encasing the crown that seemed to be very aged and worn.

Encased by his hat was slightly curly, shoulder length black hair just beneath. He had a pale complexion and dark blue eyes situated behind black, rectangular-shaped glasses. He also had facial hair of sorts, where he had a cleanly cut mustache that sat nicely away from a thin, neatly trimmed beard running along his jawline.

"Good morning everyone." he spoke in a collected, even voice with a mild reverberation, "My name is professor Dravus Gladian, and I will be your professor for Advanced Aura Integration."

The chatter of the class finally died down once he started speaking, his voice difficult not to pay attention to.

"Here in this class, I'll be teaching you how to directly combat other Aura-using combatants that make use of advanced Aura and other magic-related abilities, as well as furthering the abilities you yourself possess in your personal arsenal."

The noise I heard next was subtle, but it sounded like something hit one of the long table desks. And I'm fairly certain I heard a faint groan.

"You won't only learn about what exactly is out there and what people might use against you, but how to deal with them. And to this effect, we'll also be performing direct demonstrations of how to combat against these varying different abilities. Out in the field."

I see… So this class would be held in tandem with ms. Goodwitch's class… In a way, this class is similar where it focuses on how to combat those with Aura and various abilities effectively and efficiently, whereas ms. Goodwitch focuses on our individual strengths and weaknesses.

It's very likely that we would have to fight in this class too, only, the usage of our Aura specific abilities would be what we would use more rather than our weapons.

"Unfortunately, you may not always be able to rely on just your weapon or weapons. Hence why it is important to harness and improve your Aura-related capabilities and understand what it is you're up against when facing another combatant. After all…it isn't JUST the Grimm we have to be worried about out in the world."

He was right. There were all sorts of rogues out in the wilderness. Master, his siblings, and I have encountered few now and then. Some even possessed Semblances as well. While easy to defeat, they were annoying to deal with...

"Sounds like bullshit if you ask me. You've been here five minutes and I've already lost all interest."

Of course, Ray Chroma has next to no useful input to add. I'm still fairly miffed that I wasn't able to sear his lips shut permanently...

"It might sound like 'bullshit' to you, Mr. Chroma, but I'd venture a guess that you would think differently if someone shrunk you down to the size of a water bottle. Or perhaps rearrange the composition of your entire bone structure to make it as brittle as cookies. Who knows? Maybe even a toad for the simple fun of it."

Professor Gladian responded with an unwavering smile and sharp stare.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought this was a Huntsmen/Huntress training academy, not a fairytale castle."

"It's often the fairy tales and legends you should be most wary of. Out there in the world of Huntsmen and Huntresses are many unknowns and all sorts of complicated variables involved. Wouldn't you rather know how to deal with them offhand rather than scramble around for an answer?"

The professor makes a sound point. The world is full of mysteries. And though we understand quite a lot, there is still much to learn. Magic is real and exists despite the common knowledge we assume people of this world posses. After all, Magic is how we are present in this World currently. I'm sure people know Magic does exist in this world, but what I'm even more certain of is that the people of this World haven't begun to comprehend what exists in secret here, and what exists outside.

If only they knew of the terrors and kinds of beings that actually exist...

"There are very few things that cannot be explained using science and logic, so until you show me real evidence of magic, I'll take everything you say with a pinch of salt. Starting…now."

Perhaps I can demonstrate for you mr. Chroma. Though I'm sure it is something that can be accomplished painlessly.

"I'll hold off a direct demonstration for now, Mr. Chroma. But still, I suggest you keep a keen eye and pay attention. You might learn a thing or two that can save your life." the professor said, smile growing.

Ray raised his eyebrows once, "Whatever."

The professor set his bag down to the side of the desk at the center of the room and stood in front of it, hands placed on its wooden edge as he leaned forward and glanced around.

I had the impression he was taking a few moments to study those within our class, assessing them as best he could now before directly interacting with us. After all, a good educator does take the time to understand their student, or students, in order to mold the course of the class directly around them to teach effectively.

"The world outside of the walls of the Kingdoms is filled with uncertainty. Not everything is clear cut to see in the light of day. And so, one of the goals of this class is to make those unknowns and uncertainties as clear as can be when you're out there. That way you can be home for Sunday dinner just in time." he jokingly added, earning a few chuckles from the students.

But...the tension left from mr. Chroma's unnecessary outburst still lingered, which made me think a few members within of our class might have had a shared view.

If only they knew how true Professor Gladian's words were...

"So…before we dive into it today, two things you should be aware of. What you learn here in this class will in part be applied in Professor Goodwitch's combat classes. That, and every so often we will be holding joint classes together. Secondly, I will be having a Teacher Assistant, or TA for short. If I am not available before or after classes, she will be here for your convenience to ask questions or receive advice and the like."

A Teacher Assistant? Professor Gladian must be a very busy person if he requires one…

"That being said, Elisia, you can come in now and introduce yourself."

As soon as he said the name, I heard Master shifting quickly, looking over to see his head jolt upwards in shock, his face clearly amiss with surprise.

Did he know this Elisia somehow?

The back door to the class slid open, and in stepped what I assumed to be the TA, dressed in the standard female Beacon Academy uniform. She was surprisingly about 5'3, two inches shorter than my own height, and was between a petite and endowed figure, almost matching Ciel in some regards. But looking closely, this Elisia seemed to be just a bit more mature and curvier.

Along with her fair skin, the other two features that caught my eye were her ice blue irises and chin length, light blue hair with only a few strands hanging in between her eyes. That, and the two light blue rabbit ears atop her head, identifying her as Faunus.

She strode down the steps from the top, passing by the desks as everyone's eyes were on her with silent chatter off to the side, although, she paid them no mind, as if none of them held any interest to her. However, once she approached our table desk I saw her turn her head toward Master, as if just noticing he was there, and giggled slightly, waving at him subtly as she passed by.

W-Wait, why did she giggle at him?! Are the two of them acquainted as I originally thought?! How do they know each other?!

All Master did was chuckle nervously and wave back awkwardly.

He did know her… He did know her!

I didn't quite realize it within the heat of the moment until after, but my grip on the table desk was enough to take a huge chunk of it.

I kept my eyes on her, seeing what other subtle motions she would make, but she did nothing. Regardless, I will watch her to be sure.

When she reached the front of the class, she took a glance over all of us in the room before speaking.

"Hello everyone. My name is Elisia Fey. As you all heard, I'm professor Gladian's TA and will be here to help you when he's not around. Treat me nicely, okay?" she said with a bright smile, garnishing the attention of many of the students.

She wasn't that amazing. But her smile was enough to make a few of the students of the male persuasion pay special attention.

Master, however, attempted to avoid eye contact with her entirely.

What happened between the two of you to merit such a reaction?!

"This class is so bad, it requires two teachers. What a surprise…"

Does he not know by now no one wishes to listen to any words that come out of his mouth?

"Sorry, but when you actually have something worthwhile to say, I'll maybe take it under advisement, Mr. Chroma." the TA replied, still keeping her smile about her.

…

I think might warm up to this TA… Eventually…

"So, are we all caught up?" she asked the professor as she brushed mr. Chroma off as if he never even existed.

"Quite so now that you're here. Now then… Why don't we start today's class with a short demonstration of some of the activities in this class? Elisia, choose whomever you wish to participate."

"Oh? I get to pick?" She said with excitement in her tone, "Alright…"

Her head scanned the room full of students, all of whom assumed she simply did that for show since the cranky complainer that goes by the name of Ray Chroma would very likely be the chosen candidate for today's "demonstration". It'd be strange otherwise if she didn't pick him. Frankly, I was completely for ms. Elisia picking mr. Chroma and putting him in his place.

"Let's see… How about…you."

Her finger fell upon our section, but we weren't exactly sure who she picked. Looking behind me, I could see how shocked Kitsuki was, seemingly under the impression that she was the one selected to partake of the demonstration. Though, looking closely, she wasn't pointing at Kitsuki. In fact, it was to the person just below her.

Master.

He looked between us all, meeting the gazes of numerous people in the room as he looked back at them until his gaze fell upon our TA. As if resigned to his fate, Master shook his head slightly and let out a sigh, raising himself up from his desk and stumbling forward with his first step. After refocusing himself, all he did was walk down the aisle, trying to act as calm as could while approaching the center stage.

Now that I think about it, his nervousness from before didn't seem as though it was...well...what I prayed to all the gods in the heavens that it wouldn't be. It looked as though it was legitimate intimidation of a sort.

Master eventually made it down to ms. Elisia's side, the two standing just a short distance away from each other as Master attempted to keep calm and collected, a strong contrast from the beaming joy the TA had, staring back at him with a calm smile before letting out another soft giggle the most, save for few like me, would not have heard.

As pure and innocent as her giggle seemed, it still unsettled me on various levels.

"Hmmm… Now that you are both here, allow me to go over the rules of this combat engagement briefly. If you have any weapons on your persons, you aren't allowed to use them whatsoever. You will be restricted to hand to hand combat only. The only thing outside of hand to hand combat you will be able to use is your Aura related abilities, or abilities that are quote unquote magic based if you posses any. With that in mind, are the both of you ready?" Professor Gladian asked.

"As ready as can be…" Master replied softly.

"Anytime. Just give us the go." ms. Elisia said cheerily, holding her hands behind her back while playfully bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

She seemed excited by this. Why was she excited by this?

Master...who is this person?

* * *

 **(Dante POV)**

I can't believe I'm here right now. I cannot believe she specifically went out of her way to choose me.

Why me?

Looking towards Elisia, all she did was just look at me with that cutesy smile of hers, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. I just stood where I was, not moving in the slightest bit. Something about her made me really uneasy, like how you clench tighter than a clam fish during a tie game with 5 seconds left on the clock and both sides have a chance to score easily.

The serious clenching was part of the reason as to why I wasn't moving at the moment.

Seeing her destroy White Suit's future generations with her foot was probably the most intimidating thing I've ever seen. More intimidating than all the nasty and horrifying creatures I've seen in my career, and trust me, they were the really scary kinds.

Ironic that a small and lithe rabbit Faunus somehow managed to be worse.

"You look nervous." She said grabbing my attention as professor Gladian ran the rules down for us, something neither of us really needed.

Yes, I'm nervous. I've fought a menace in a dragon mask, a serial killer, and now you. I may be immortal and may be insensitive to pain, but there's no way doing something similar to me wouldn't mentally scar me. Well, not scar me, but make me feel really uncomfortable.

"Relax. I'll fight you legitimately and won't crush 'them' like with that other guy."

Could I take her word for it?

"You didn't tell me you were a TA for a Beacon Academy Professor…"

"Didn't seem too relevant at the time. Plus-"

"Second date…" I said with a role of my eyes.

"Aw, you remembered! I'm actually a lot happier now."

What's with this girl..?

"How about we get lunch together after this, and I'll tell you a bit more about myself? Two birds with one stone if I do say so myself."

"I'd have to ask my team."

"You're the leader aren't you? Can't decide for yourself?"

"I can, but it just be weird to bring a stranger out of the blue."

"But I'm not a stranger to you, we've already met."

That we have…

"Are the both of you ready?" Asked professor Gladian.

"Give us the go." Elisia replied to him before refocusing her attention on me.

The professor looked between us with a smile, raising his hand up in the air as all in the stands next to us watched in anticipation.

"Begin."

I didn't understand how at first, but as soon as the professor lowered his hand, Elisia was already in front of me, first ready to crash into my abdomen. I quickly spun out of the way and put distance between us as she retook a stance, eyeing me as she kept her smile.

She was testing me. But now it was time to test her.

I faked being off balance so that she'd move in to take advantage, which she did, so I could see how exactly she closed the gap between us so easily. I couldn't quite understand it, but it looked as though she used her Aura as a stepping stone of sorts to accelerate herself forwards at the speed that she moved.

It was almost like how Inuba and myself dash...

Her speed was impressive as she kept a nice tempo between us when exchanging blows, and the precision behind them was superb… She was targeting any vital point or pressure point that she could aim for, possibly to disable me quickly to end the fight.

But I was proving to be more of a challenge than she expected.

Even so, she kept her smile about her as we blocked and parried each other's fists and kicks, almost as if we were dancing with one another. She was taking the time to study my movements, just as I was taking the time to study her, no movement wasted at all.

Though, I was pretty sure she was doing high kicks to "distract" me since she was wearing a skirt.

Light blue...

Stop stop stop.

Moving backwards, I reminded myself this was to demonstrate Aura techniques.

Time to demonstrate then.

I lashed my right hand out to the side and quickly formed an Aura Longsword, dashing forwards towards Elisia at great speed as she gave me a look of surprise, dodging backwards from my slash.

I had the upper hand now, little rabbit.

She dodged as best she could, but my strikes were incredibly fast. I was actually impressed she was even able to move as fast, which meant her focus was more on speed. But I still didn't take her lightly, even with my advantage now.

Who knows what other tricks she might have up her sleeve..?

But was she allowing me the advantage? Intentionally backing herself in the corner to lower my guard?

Answer to the survey said "yes" when she smiled at me again.

As soon as I closed in for a swing, Elisa quickly raised her hand up from below her waist and into the air, and right beneath my feet, jagged ice spikes crowding together to form a large, pointed structure of numerous jagged edges that reached up into the sky, all within the span of a second.

That sharp, glacial column of ice came close to taking a part of my nose off had I not dodged back, my feet skidding to a halt.

I thought I emerged unscathed, which I did, but at the same time, somewhat not.

The entire front of my grey cotton zip up hoodie opened up entirely, the entire section meant to cover my torso now cut open to reveal my bare chest underneath.

She didn't notice it, but the small cut she made had already vanished as a strong chill took the room with massive ice pillar now stood in the room.

I heard girlish squealing in the stands from numerous parts, and even the shutter snaps of a few cameras. Turning my head, I could see the majority of the girls in class with their Scrolls out, taking as many photos as they could.

Though I swear I just saw some dude taking a lot of photos of me...

A shiver colder than the ice pillar in front of me ran down my spine at the thought as I looked towards Elisia, who hid her very wide smile behind her hand. She was even giggling a bit while trying to contain herself.

Alright, now I'm a bit annoyed. This was my favorite piece of clothing after all.

A thin layer of white and black Aura formed around my body, covering up my torso like a makeshift shirt as I heard many disappointed groans.

She did that on purpose.

I have a feeling she wanted to see more than just "my skills".

"Wow~! It's amazing to see just what dumb luck can do for a person!" Elisia coyly stated.

"You're sorely wrong to think that was luck…"

"Oh? Prove it to me."

With pleasure.

Without giving her a second more to think, I straight tossed my Aura Longsword directly at Elisia, and to partial surprise, she formed a Longsword made of ice herself and easily redirected my blade behind her.

Just like I wanted.

My body vanished in a stream of white and black Aura, reappearing in place of the Aura Sword behind Elisia as I formed another in my hand, ready to swing at her.

Outside of my expectations, she reacted accordingly, but not without a hint of stress in her expression as she spun around and met my blade with a clash. Instead of pressing the attack with her sword, she formed an ice dagger of sorts in her free hand and rushed it forward into my side.

At least, it would have entered my side had my hand not gotten in the ice dagger's path.

My hand kept the dagger in place, but our other hands that held our swords were still free and ready to strike down.

"And stop."

Both of us immediately came to a halt at the command of Professor Gladian, neither of us moving a single inch as we stared deep into each other's eyes. Elisia had long since dropped her smile, and grew a bit more serious with me.

I think I accomplished my goal a bit.

"Looks like it's your loss, handsome." She said taking up a smile again.

My gaze lowered to my hand that kept the dagger away from my side, where I could see the blade had extended itself so that the point was a few inches beneath my chin.

I only smiled as I met her gaze again.

"Not quite Elsia." Professor Gladian spoke up as he approached us, "Mr. Dante, care to show your hand as well?"

Elisia's surprised gazed turned from the professor to me, wondering what exactly he was talking about. From anyone else's perspective, yes, it did indeed look as though she had me at a disadvantage. But clearly, not everyone could see what the professor and potentially few select others could see, or rather, sense.

My Aura Longsword vanished from my right hand as I slowly moved it off to the side, snapping my fingers as my trap had been revealed. Dozens of white and black Aura Swords pointed in Elisia's direction from only a few centimeters away phased into existence, trapping her from numerous angles to make escape impossible.

The rabbit Faunus examined her surroundings around herself, realizing what the professor meant before she glared back at me and sighed, removing her "ice shank" from my hand so that the both of us could take a few steps back.

If anything, I'd say this "demonstration" ended in a draw.

* * *

 **What? You didn't think Elisia was a sort of one off character? Did you? Please say no.**

 **Jokes aside, she's now here. At Beacon. And will add more excitement to the story as time goes on.**

 **I don't really have much to say right now; it's my birthday this weekend, I got a 90% on one of my final papers (two finals left now basically, and I say two since one of the last two is another paper and the other an online quiz) and I'm still working hard on my other school related stuff. So keeping busy. But, if any of you feel like asking questions at any given time (that aren't spoilerish, sorry.) do ask them and I'll do my best to answer.**

 **So with that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Of Murders and Ghosts**

«»

"Seriously, is he okay?" Ciel asked.

I'm fine.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Then again…"

You're worrying over nothing Inuba.

"Maybe exhaustion is starting to hit him?" Leo pondered.

I'm not tired either, thanks.

"He… Looks to be in good health… Mentally and physically I mean."

Again, thank you for your evaluation Inuba, still not needed.

Honestly, this is all because I said I was getting bored of homework.

"Guys, I'm fine, alright?"

"No way, we need to check you out to make sure you're actually our brother."

"Indeed. This sudden change of attitude is worrying…"

"What are you..?"

"If you're actually our brother, you'd remember that you told the two of us if there was anything 'out of left field' weird happening with you, potentially assume it's not you. If that makes sense…"

Okay, looks like the imposter protocol I tried setting in place didn't exactly work too well… Need to work on it.

"Look, when you guys have done as much homework as I have, you just...get bored of it after a while. It's like if you drink nothing but apple juice for extensive periods time, you just don't feel like drinking it at all for a long while."

"Mmmm… He's got a point you know…" Ciel said.

I did my fair share of homework in high school back in Primordial. Homework here may be way way way easier and less time consuming, but it still gets boring after a while.

What else to do then? I could do some training with Devouring Light… It does need improvement in a lot of areas since it's technically a new technique, but of the same variation. That, and maybe figure out some new tricks with my Shadow Skin…

But there was also something else on my mind too.

That guy in forest that died during initiation.

I did some extensive digging as best I could at first, but things were really weird. They say the cause of death was from the extensive wounds he suffered from the Grimm...but something just doesn't add up. This guy, Kitsuki's partner to be, was supposed to be a professional of sorts. Not as good as Pyrrha Nikos, whom I've seen a lot of on television, but still pretty damn good.

So how did he get killed by a simple pack of low tier Grimm?

...

An idea came to mind.

If I could check the autopsy report, I could maybe find any irregularities that might point me in the direction of a clue, or something of the sort. If not, then I'd have to explore the area in the forest where he died.

"I'm gonna step out for a bit."

"What?! But the Grimm Hunter World Beta is gonna be released in a few hours!" Ciel explained to me.

"I'll be back before then."

"Would you like me to accompany you?" Inuba asked standing from her seat on the bed.

"Nah, where I'm going is gonna be pretty boring. Just sit tight for now."

"As you wish then…" she said, her fox ears drooping a bit.

Hrmmm… Maybe she wants to go out a bit more? I don't blame her, there's a few things I'd like to see here and there, and we haven't exactly been doing much besides school work and hanging out back in our dorm.

"Tell you what, how about we go see a movie or something tomorrow since it's Friday?"

Her fox ears immediately shot up, "Really?! I-I mean, are you certain? I don't wish to disturb you or-"

"Ah, it's alright. We don't go outside much anyway. An outing for all of us, sound good?"

"Movie? Sweet? Ice cream? Just as sweet if we can go." Ciel mentioned.

"Sure. Back in a bit then."

I left the room with my usual attire of grey jeans and black shoes with white soles, but instead of wearing the zip up hoodie, I left it behind and simply wore my black long sleeved shirt.

"The totally perfect Dante sick of homework?! I'm shocked!"

Oh damn… It's her…

I turned to confront my fears, seeing Elisia Fey leaning against a wall near my team's room.

Her...attire was different. A light blue sleeveless blouse and a pair of blue jean short shorts.

She has a thing for those, doesn't she?

"And you're here for..?"

"Mmmm, see the dorms and stuff. Talk to some of the students. Hang out with you to annoy you endlessly."

That last bit I figured out for myself…

"You're gonna have to take a pass on annoying me today. I've got stuff to do today."

She gave me a mock gasp, "The entirely perfect Dante has something to do for once?!"

"Is annoying people all you're good for?"

"Nope. But it can be a specialty of mine when I want." She said winking at me, "Take me with."

"Look, this isn't the kind of thing where I can just randomly take someone. Which is why I'm going alone right now." I said walking away, the rabbit eared girl following behind.

"Come one, just tell me what you're up to. Maybe I can help in some way?"

…

She could be useful in someway… I think…

"If you're gonna help, then you should know what I'm up to."

"Something naughty?"

"As if." I said as she giggled at me, "I'm looking into Maroon Alister's death."

"Hotshot from Vacuo?"

Is that how people are going to reference him..?

"Killed by Grimm right? What's to look into?" She asked me as we left the dormitory.

"That's the thing. He's supposed to be good, at least good enough not to be taken down by a simple pack."

"When you put it that way, it does sound a bit suspicious…"

"The current theories I'm working with is that someone targeted him, or they were targeting his partner, Kitsuki."

"Aw, the cute and tiny fox?"

Was that genuine concern I heard?

"The way I see it, if you're trying to target someone, during initiation would be the best time since there'd be a dash of controlled chaos all about, which means eyes are on the field, but at different times in different areas."

"Right… You know, they brought this up in the teacher's meeting some time ago when professor Gladian and I went. Perks of being a TA." She answered for me before I asked, "Gladian thought something was weird about it too, especially when we heard what we did."

"What did you hear?"

"Apparently the cameras were down in that area. Total blackout a few seconds before they got attacked. And the weird part was that it was only in that area too."

Only one area to suffer a blackout? That's definitely not normal, and not a simple coincidence.

"Well, good thing is at least you, Professor Gladian and Ozpin are on the same page."

"The headmaster thinks the same too?"

"Well, yeah. BUt if you ask me, the two of them are bit screwy. Especially Professor Gladian with how long I've worked with him."

Right…

We eventually made it to the steps leading down to the single space garage they reserved for me, and behind me, I saw Elisia looking on in awe.

"Hey… Did you bring me down here to make out with me or something?"

"Y-You wish…" I replied quickening my pace to the garage door, opening up to reveal the beautiful masterpiece of machinery inside.

"Woah! Is that your car?!"

"Yup." I said as she eagerly moved about the car, glancing at it from different angles all around.

"This must have cost a fortune!"

It would have if I did actually buy it…

Thank you again Ross, you vampiric bastard.

"Did you steal it?"

"Of course I didn't steal it! It was a gift from a friend!"

"A friend gave you this car? No way. You totally stole it."

"I didn't steal it!" I strongly affirmed.

"I'm totally messing with you. Relax." She said patting me on the back.

She'll literally give me stress headaches that are painful. Regardless of my insensitivity to pain. I can feel it.

"Just get in."

* * *

"So we're checking the body first?" Elisia asked as we entered the building.

One bit of info I could snag from my search was the morgue Maroon was taken to, which was where we were at the moment.

"My partner is really skilled in the medical field, so she was able to take the time to help me learn how to spot any irregularities in a person's body, living or dead."

"Foxy's a medic? That's actually pretty cool. And fitting. She give you some 'special loving' when she's healing you?"

"D-Don't even joke about that…"

"Well~?"

"It's not like that…"

"Huh… Coulda fooled me…"

Ignoring her comment, I walked up to the front desk and grabbed the attention of the person sitting behind it.

"Hi, we're here to look over a recent autopsy done on a Maroon Alister."

"Oh, I'm sorry sir, but that case has been classified from the view of the general public."

"I'm one of the teachers at Beacon." Elisia spoke as she brought her Scroll to show her credentials, "Some of us wanted to look over the case again due to some recent information that surfaced."

"Although your credentials check out ms. Fey, I'm sorry to say that at this time we have already returned mr. Alister's body to his family."

Great…

"Thankfully however, we managed to perform a whole BioScan of his body and were able to recreate it to the condition it was in when his body arrived to us. If that would suffice, then you're more than welcome to proceed to room 5."

"That'll work perfectly. Thanks."

Wow… She's actually useful.

Combat wise, I wouldn't doubt her in the slightest. She was able to keep up with me.

At least, fighting casually she was. But I have a feeling she's more skilled than what she showed. Afterall, I didn't show her everything either.

Elisia actually managed to save me some time.

"See? I'm pretty useful when I mean to be."

"I guess you are." I said offering her a half compliment regarded of her pouting.

A minute or so of walking down the dimly lit corridor, Elisia and I stepped inside the room we were told to find, finding equipment neatly organized and the like. What we wanted to take a look at was the console in front of us.

Using her Scroll, Elisia placed it into the slot so that it could read her credentials, and logged her in, immediately taking her to the file concerning Maroon Alister.

"Alright, let's 'open' him up."

She stared blankly at me for a moment, "That was a terrible joke."

"I'm not good at jokes." I said quickly typing away at the monitor, soon bringing up an entire holographic display of Maroon's mapped out body from head to toe.

It took on his proportions without taking his guise, the body a holographic blue color. Veins were colored white, and any other organs took on a purple color. What I liked about this machine is that it highlighted the damaged areas in red, even the smallest injuries such as scratches.

Deep bite marks, numerous gashes and claw marks… Damn, even bitten on the shoulder and slightly up on his neck. That had to be excruciating…

I wouldn't know myself... How painful that would be I mean.

"Man… He got messed up pretty badly… So, what are we looking for exactly?"

"Anything irregular. Doesn't matter what." I answered looking through the scans as quickly as my eyes could let me, "Especially anything that's 'magic'-like."

"Huh… Didn't take you as a believer. You know, in magic and the supernatural and stuff."

"Trust me, with the things I've seen, I'm more than just a believer..."

Did I ever mention that I met Cthulhu once? We played a weird chess game. It was like chess, but with different rules. There were four globes with checkered patterns, and the games pieces were linked to the person's organs.

Safe to say, I cheated just a little bit.

Other than that, I was feeling frustrated as more time passed by. I should have found something by now, anything. Instead, there was nothing. No traces of residual foreign Aura, nothing intrusive to his nervous system, nothing. It just...looked normal…

"There's literally nothing. Just the stuff the Grimm did to him…"

I brought my thumb to my lips and tapped repeatedly on the console, making sure I saw everything I possibly could. But it wasn't a deception to my eyes.

"Whoever planned this did so in a way that makes it impossible to trace back to them by normal means. Meaning this was so meticulously planned that not even a scrap of usable information can be pulled from an autopsy. It's almost 'me' levels of ludicrous when it comes to planning something out and planning ahead against potential threats and outliers."

In all honesty, I'm impressed someone went this far to cover their tracks. It was...exciting to see someone else who could possibly plan dozens, if not hundreds of steps ahead of everyone else.

Regardless, there's always some sort of trail or pattern to follow, regardless of how well someone covered their tracks.

I'll find you. It's just a matter of time.

"At the teachers meeting, did they mention anything else that was noteworthy? Anything at all?"

"Why? No luck with the autopsy?"

"None. Whoever did this was near perfect with their execution. In both sense of the term. Anyway, was there anything else one of the teachers mentioned? Something weird, or..?"

Elisia brought a hand to her chin, strutting about the room as she thought hard.

So this is what she looks like when she's thinking… Now I know.

"The only thing I can think of is a survivor Beowolf."

"Survivor?"

"Yeah, it had charred fur and skin, like it was burned or something. Oddly enough, there were no signs of fire in the entire area, save for after that chick with the black hat 'embered' the forest."

Time and place doesn't fit with Anoel. She was a ways away from Maroon and Kitsuki. That, and if she did use her fire, the effects would be more apparent with the area… Same for her sister Arex…

"Did anyone track the Beowolf?"

"No, it just scampered off into the forest. I mean, no one would think to go after a gangly Beowolf. Unless, you know, for revenge or something."

Right… Normally you wouldn't chase after a Beowolf for a reason like that unless you're a family member or whatever. You wouldn't think to kill it unless it crossed your path at a later time. If this Beowolf was there, even attacked Maroon...finding it and killing it would tell me everything I'd want and possibly more.

After all, it's blood would speak to me where words couldn't be had.

"This whole autopsy thing was a bust. What now?"

"We find the Beowolf." I said shutting down the terminal, "And then we catch it and figure out what it knows."

"What," she scoffed, "gonna interrogate it?" Elisia asked smiling.

"Something like that."

"Seriously?" She asked following me out of the room, "You do realize Grimm don't speak, right?"

"Even though he might not speak to me, his blood will."

"Woah… That just got creepy…"

"You'll see what I mean. Come one. We've got a hunt to conduct."

* * *

"So, what did you mean exactly by 'his blood will'? Cause, that was pretty…"

"Creepy, I know." I answered Elisia as we wandered the Emerald Forest together, eyes constantly scanning for Grimm or anything out of the ordinary, "But it's sort of an ability I unintentionally picked up. Just kinda...passed on to me."

"And now you're a blood whisperer?" Elisia asked mockingly with her light blue rabbit ears perking up.

I flicked her right rabbit ear, where she jumped a little.

"Stupid questions get you flicked. And no, that's not what I meant when I said 'talk'. The ability I gained ages ago allows me to see memories from inanimate objects and from the blood of a person, creature, or being."

"Huh… That actually sounds cool now that I think about it."

How I got the ability wasn't…

"And what about you personally? You seem like a kind of 'jack of all trades' guy."

"Well, I do try to learn as much as I can whenever I can." I answered honestly, "Even the smaller things no one will ideally pick up. Unlike what most people think, I just know a lot of things, not everything in the whole wide universe."

Thinking about it, besides being a warrior, I guess I'm also a sort of lore keeper to a degree with all the information I possess…

"Where'd you learn to fight?"

"Various people mostly." I told her, "I pick apart different peoples styles whenever I see them and sort of add an altered, personalized version for myself if I can. That goes for enemies and allies alike. But, I learned most of what I know from one person really."

Tenma Kitsukami… A legend amongst the Apparition World, home-realm of all yōkai. A warrior so fearsome and powerful that some even say he has the potential to be the new "Dakini(Demon Fox God)".

And, he's also Inuba's father. Occasionally, he tries to get me into a punchout match with him.

I don't enjoy those matches.

"He's someone who's been gone for sometime."

"Dead?" Elisia asked rather quickly.

"No, he just...up and vanished. Last I heard, he left to go on some secret mission, and didn't intend to return until it was finished."

"You sure he isn't dead?"

I scoffed at the thought of Tenma dying, a person who is seemingly as unkillable as I am, "As much as I hate to admit it, nothing can kill that old man. Not even me."

"Oh? Something you can't kill? I'm shocked."

Trust me, half of the things I killed would probably destroy a World or two.

I'm just inherently good at killing threatening beings.

"Whatever…" I answered as we made a sudden stop.

I looked around, carefully examining my position and finding the place of interest.

The place where Maroon Alister met his untimely demise.

"What're we looking for this time?" Elisia asked me as she slowly rotated herself around to search the area.

"Anything out of the ordinary."

"Thank you king of vagueness."

"Stuff that doesn't belong, like random burns. Actually, check the cameras in your area first, see if there's any damage or signs of tampering."

"Well, I can tell you now there's some scorch marks around the areas of the cameras. What's weird though is that they look like they're coming from the front of the cameras in the direction they're facing…"

They're coming outwards from the faces of the cameras? That's definitely odd… But what does that mean exactly?

"They don't look like explosive markings or anything. Some of the burns are like thin, jagged strands if anything, some of them moving in weird directions. So I think it's safe to rule out any explosives being used." Elisia confirmed.

Was it even fire that did something like this? Reports say the Beowolf that escaped the combat zone had scorch marks on its body, and there's scorch marks around here in the area. But no scorch marks at all on Maroon's body? Even Kitsuki for that matter?

Something tells me it'd be easier to ask Kitsuki directly what happened here. But I having a feeling she'd either lie or shy away from the problem. Most likely shy away since she doesn't seem the type to lie about this sort of thing. Then again, she might not know anything. And if I tried searching her memories directly, I might not find anything. Either way, doing that directly is too invasive, so I can't go with that method.

So that leaves me with trying to figure out things using clues here in this area. And from that Beowolf if we can get our hands on it.

I heard the snapping of twigs not soon after, turning in Elisia's direction to see a charred Beowolf just about ready to pounce her.

Though, I should have known better than to be concerned.

My rabbit Faunus companion smiled as she lightly tapped the forest floor with her foot a single time, making stalagmites of ice immediately jut out of the ground and pierce the Beowolf as if it had fallen into a pit of spears.

As if she knew I needed it alive, she made sure her spikes of ice only piercing its arms and legs to trap it in place. That still didn't save it from the various other cuts from the formations of ice.

Now I needed to act quickly before it disappeared.

Running up to Elisia and our entrapped prey, I quickly placed my hand on its bloodied and charred head, despite it weakly snapping at my hand. With a firm grip now in place, I let my mind wander in.

I'd never used this on a Grimm before, so the experience was...new.

It's entire mind was cluttered and chaotic, like a really big tangle of wires that spanned an entire room, or even bigger.

Did something like this even have memories?

…

Wait, I see something.

Wandering closer, I could see images, specifically what I wanted to see. An image like that of a foggy projector screen was how I saw through the eyes of this Beowolf as it stalked Kitsuki and her partner through the forest. I could hear one of them speaking to the other, Maroon from what it appeared, while this Beowolf kept its distance, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

And it's time soon came.

A flash of light came from several directions at once, each bolt impacting Kitsuki and Maroon within an instant, freezing the duo in place.

How could Light freeze people?

…

Wait...that wasn't light…

It was lightning.

I quickly forced a "rewind" with a mental sway of my hand and watched the bolts strike again, only this time more slowly. Their jagged edges, the way they moved, it was undoubtedly clear now that it was lightning, which is why they suddenly froze in place.

They were paralyzed by a massive shock to their system.

Maroon, however afflicted he was, managed to move little by little as Beowolves swarmed the area. He managed to fend of a few at a time, until one of them caught his leg in their maw. Even so, he continued to fight, despite more of them sinking their jaws into various locations around his body.

The Beowolf whose eyes I was seeing through moved to pounce, but another flash of lightning near it emerged and struck Maroon once more, permanently freezing him up as the Beowolves set upon him to end his life once and for all. The Beowolf I saw through was unfortunate enough to be caught in the emission zone of the lighting, where the cameras sat still, pointing in Maroon's direction.

Heavily damaged and burned by the lightning, the creature decided to retreat, but not before I caught a glimpse of something else.

Kitsuki was startled, but startled in a sense as if she recognized what this was…

The image blurred and faded away like clouds of sand in the wind, everything turning pitch black before my vision was restored to its normal state.

I felt an emptiness in my hand, looking down to see the Beowolf Elisa trapped disappear into nothingness.

"So handsome, find anything useful through your 'soul searching'? Get it?"

That was a bad joke. Worse than my own.

…

Wait, was that the point? Was she making fun of me through making a bad joke about me making bad jokes?

I've underestimated this little rabbit…

"I found out it wasn't just Grimm that killed Maroon Alister and almost Kitsuki Aeolus." I said slowly spinning around, waving my hand in the direction of the numerous cameras, "Those definitely aren't anything fire related. Those scorch marks were made by lightning that came from the cameras themselves."

"Wait, they came from the cameras?"

"That's right. Going with my first guess that someone intentionally did this was correct."

But what's troubling about what I saw is that Kitsuki might know something. She may have just been confused, but…

I still can't just go up to her and ask.

"Alright, let's you and I head back. We recompile our evidence so far, disband for the day and-"

I felt a soft finger being pressed against my lips, a cool breeze passing me by as Elisia stared at me with her usual, coy smile. With her finger still on my lips, I turned my head slightly and shifted my eyes to the side, seeing a few dozen Beowolves pierced upon numerous stalagmites of jagged ice, their bodies slowly fading away as my gaze turned back to Elisa.

"Oh my… It looks like I just saved your life, doesn't it?"

Not really. I was about to turn around and deal with them myself. But I guess she can entertain herself with the thought.

"Looks like you did. Thanks."

"Thanks is all I get?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well…" she said as her finger slowly drifted from my lips down to the center of my chest, "I think I deserve more than just 'thanks' as my reward, don't I?"

What more does she want?

…

"Alright. I've got just the thing."

* * *

"This wasn't the kind of reward I wanted…" Elisia said staring down in her lap.

"Hey, we don't always get to pick and choose."

We were currently on an airship heading back to Beacon after we went back into Vale for her "reward".

What was it?

Shakes from a shop downtown called "Great Shakes". Simple name, but extraordinary shakes. I got a vanilla Smoreo cookie shake. Elisia got a vanilla and blueberry and blackberry swirl shake, which she was currently working on having eaten only a fourth of it.

I practically just finished mine.

"You should be happy. That's one of their best selling along with the one I got."

She simply gave me a pout before angrily forcing a few spoonfuls of her shake in her mouth.

"Seeing as you're my technical witness, you're now a crucial part of uncovering the culprit. Which also means you might be in danger in the future."

"Yeah yeah, I can take care of myself."

"I know you can. But this person we're up against is smart and meticulous. They went to such great lengths to cover up their tracks that to anyone else, this would've been a complete dead end."

"Except for you, of course." Elisia pointed out.

"Except for me."

I was never going to be wary of the potential risk this mystery would put me in. After all, I can't die, so it doesn't really matter. But for others involved…

"And~?"

She catches onto my points too quickly.

"And, this means that the closer we get, the more at risk you are if this certain someone figures out we're onto them."

"Why only me? Aren't you at risk too? Or are you going to put me at the front?"

"Nothing like that." I seriously responded, "When it comes to me, there's significantly less risk involved."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"I'm just...very difficult to kill is all…"

She let out an amused hum, digging her spoon deep into her shake, "This guy, your partner's father… He must've really taught you a lot if you're able to say that."

"Well, sort of, but not really. See, I sparred with him a lot, which allowed me to learn a lot in return. But in reality, all old man Tenma did was teach me the basics beforehand. The rest came with time the more I fought."

"Sounds rough…"

You haven't the slightest idea… Then again, maybe you do to an extent…

"Things...weren't so simple and carefree in my life so far. Not always anyway. It's why whenever I was fighting, I made sure to end things as quickly as possible. That way there was more time for the simpler, more peaceable things."

"You like peace?"

"I certainly prefer it over fighting constantly…"

She gave me a light hum as she ate another scoop, "Strong guy like you can do just about anything. Why settle for simple things?"

"Just personal preference. I'm not looking to be a leader or a ruler or anything like that. I just want to be me, and live out my life the way I'd like to."

"Mmmm… A respectable goal I guess."

"Oh yeah? And what about you?"

"Not telling."

She's really insistent on keeping information about herself outside of other people's knowledge. Maybe she doesn't trust me fully yet?

…

A sudden chill ran down my spine. And it wasn't because Elisia dropped the temperature. Everyone was affected.

The inside of the airship darkened, as if a dark presence had made itself known. The air seemed to be shrouded in a black and dark green fog, shrouding everyone's view.

A dark mass coalesced in the center walkway, just a short distance away from where I sat as Elisia and I sprang up from our seats, ready to fight whatever was to emerge.

The blackened mass began to grow into a tall shape, the mass becoming a cloth-like, black tattered robe. Near the feet, I could see rusted, bone-white segmented armor with red markings that took on a sinister visage, the entirety of the figure's arms donning a similar armor pattern up to his shoulders, his gauntleted fingertips like jagged, claws.

A hood covered the figure's whole head, but it wore a sort of jagged, twisted faceplate of rusted boneplate, that looked like a vertical diamond formation of various spikes bunched together, red markings splayed across the mask in various directions.

It raised its armored hand and pointed to me, "You."

It's voice was hollow and dark, echoing slightly amongst the darkened air of the airship. The hollow echo in its voice almost reminded me of my own voice when I sued Shadow Skin.

"You are the one who slew my kin. Return his ring before I take your life."

"Ring..? What ri-?"

Wait… I remember now…

That Wraith I killed in the catacombs of that village… When I killed him, the ring he was wearing was all that was left behind. I took it back with me and meant to study it, but I never got the chance to.

"Hey, what the hell is that thing?" Elisia whispered to me.

"A Wraith. A physical spirit of vengeance, or death in this instance. Almost impossible to kill given that a Wraith's physical body is tethered to a physical object. But this one seems...different."

"Different how?"

"His body is less transparent, and looks to be more tangible than the one I killed some time ago."

"So that means we can actually kill this one without having to destroy whatever it's tethered to."

"Of course, but it doesn't look like it'll be an easy task…"

"Chickening out already, handsome?"

"Not even. I'm just saying that so you at least are cautious. I know you're a great fighter, that much I won't question given you were able to keep up with me. Just be careful is all."

"Caution will not save you." The Wraith spoke in it's chilling voice, "You and the she-Faunus' life are mine to take."

I summoned my longsword to my hand, it's white metal giving off small glint of light in the darkened air, the black trim and edges surrounding the handle also shining ever so slightly. I held on tightly to the black leather imprinted gripping, making sure I wouldn't have a loose grip in the event this Wraith had a stronger swing than I knew of currently.

The Wraith raised its sword up in the air, and with a streak of vicious black and dark green Aura, it flashed across the gap in an instant and swung down on me. I raised up my sword to block, its strike forcing me back a few inches, but not enough like it had possibly intended. When I broke our short clash, I swung at its face, only for the Wraith to flash out of my sword's reach and aparate behind Elisia.

It went for a stab, but Elisia quickly leaned to the left to avoid the stab, forming a small ice dagger to shank him in the shoulder to drop his sword. But she too missed when it flashed away, noticing her attempt to strike it.

The fight continued with a constant flow of the Wraith flashing about us, striking at us individually in rapid paces as it forced Elisia and I back to back, the two of our eyes looking about us rapidly to counter the Wraith's rusted longsword, wherever it shot out at us from the dark.

"This isn't going so well!" My rabbit Faunus companion stated as she blocked an overhead strike and struck outwards to force it back.

She wasn't wrong, we're practically in its domain since it had time to set up this fog, or whatever it is.

Elisia slammed her hand on the ground as a dome of ice surrounded us in an instant, blocking out the Wraith. It was focused solely on us, and the rest of the passengers in our cab had already evacuated to the next room, leaving only us and it.

Even inside the dome, the Wraith's sword pierced through different sections at a time, attempting to skewer us as best it could, but the two of us avoided its stabs with each other's help.

It gave pause to its stabbing shortly, an eerie silence befalling us until we heard sickening scratching noises on the outside of Elisia's ice dome, it's likely attempt to scare us into thinking we had trapped ourselves inside as it dragged its wicked blade across our shield.

"We need to get this thing outside." I whispered.

"Yeah, I figured that much out for myself. But that thing keeps getting out of our reach before we can hit it."

"Can't you do a targeted area freeze or something like that?" I asked.

"Normally I could. But whatever it did to the air prevented me from freezing the molecules around it, so that's a no go."

"How are you making ice then?"

"I'm drawing a bit from my Aura, but it's not something I can do forever. What about you? You've got your magical Aura Swords or whatever right? Can't you make dozens of them at a time and control his movements?"

"I can now that I know there's no one else besides us in here."

"Awww, look at you the proper gentleman. Waiting for everyone else to leave so that we can die first." Elisia exclaimed.

"Well I can't just fling my swords around like a lunatic and hit innocent people! What do you take me for?!"

"Someone who's not a pus-!"

Before she could finish, a hand forced itself through the ice and grabbed hold of Elisia's neck, soon dragging her out of the dome as her body crashed through it. As the physical spirit pulled her out, it also tossed her away from the dome.

Her body collided with a window, and just as easily broke through the glass as I saw her disappear from my line of sight.

I immediately stood up and bolted for the open window despite the Wraith that was about to bear down on me. Wasting no time with him, I lashed outwards and unleashed a small wave of my white and black Aura, forcing back the physical spirit as I dove out the window head first.

My eyes scanned the air around me, quickly searching for the rabbit eared Elisia and soon finding her a few hundred away from me. I would have tossed my sword further down below, but there was a chance that I might have hit her. That, and the Wraith didn't abandon me as its target so easily.

I spun myself around in the air and clashed with the spirit, our swords colliding together in a cascade of sparks as it let out a ghastly, high pitched screech that would fill the hearts of men with intense fear.

I wasn't most men.

Even though it's horrid screaming wasn't working it's effect in the slightest, I still needed to do something about it quickly before I could make for Elisia.

But how?

 ** _…_**

What..?

 ** _…_**

A low tuned whine that echoed through my head, as if it were calling to me…

 ** _..._**

It...sounds like a voice… But whose?

 ** _…_**

What?

 ** _"Banish…"_** said the voice clearly now.

Banish…

…

If I can't kill this thing right now, then banish it! Send it away!

I broke my clash with the Wraith as we swung at each other a few more times, the spirit circling around me in the air from various directions as it struck. But when it closed in for what it had thought was going to be a kill, I blocked its blade and kept it locked in place with mine so it couldn't pull away.

Without giving the Wraith time to flee, my left arm quickly became enshrouded in black Aura, forming the twisted, segmented armor of my Shadow Skin as my hand grasped the spirit's faceplate mask. My white and black Aura coursed through my armored palms and fingers and into the body of the Wraith, causing it to let out a bellowing, high pitched screech of pain as its body exploded into a cloud of black and green Aura, soon fading out of sight.

One of my problems now gone, I had another to worry about, and that was catching Elisia. But since I nanced about with that Wraith, I lost precious time. I'm not going to be able to throw my Sword far enough or quickly enough with the appropriate force. That, and making sure I don't hit her.

…

Magic voice inside my head, not sure if that's good or bad yet, please tell me there's a way to get to her quick enough or something.

…

Please..?

As if my plea was answered, the rest of my body was engulfed in black Aura, forming the rest of my twisted, segmented armor of my Shadow Skin. Only now, something was different.

Remember that coat Karenina gave to me? It too formed on my body, but it was changed. For starters, the entire coat was now black instead of white, and sported white trim instead of black. The coat was now also sleeveless, merged into the small shoulder armor of my Shadow Skin, and the ends of my white trimmed split coattails that reached my ankles were tattered.

Strangely enough, when I looked back, the split coattails where shaped almost like…

The coattails suddenly stiffened out, as if they had came to life, and expanded greatly, taking on the shape of draconic wings, demonic wings rather.

Great, I have wings!

…

How the fuck do I use these?

I growled to myself as I spiraled about in the air with my new wings formed out of my coattails that rested near my lower back. They weren't moving at all.

These wings are completely useless! Grrrr, it was so much easier to fly around using magic!

Alright alright, calm down. Think. You had a few friends who have had wings.

As much as I hate the thought of it, that dumb crow Tengu Ayame was actually useful for once. I asked her one time how she made her wings move, and she told me they worked like an extended pair of muscles.

Okay… Think of them as extra muscles…

It took a bit of concentration, but I got the wings moving just a bit. It was hard to focus on trying to make myself fly when there was only a few thousand feet left to go.

I didn't need much, just a quick speed boost and the rest I can handle on my own. I managed to shift my wings upwards slowly as I oriented myself to the ground head first. Then, with one deft flap of my new wings, my body shot forward with intense speed, quickly closing in on Elisia as I caught her within my hands before she hit the waters of the lake below.

With a deft, ninety degree curve I sifted over the waters before flapping my wings once more to give us a big boost to our height as we traveled through the air with great speed, moving past the cliffside road towards my allotted garage. Spanning my wings outwards, I made us come to a slow stop in front of my garage, my feet touching the ground until I took a few steps forward to completely halt myself.

Elisia was safe and sound, and perfectly calm too despite being thrown out of a window thousands of feet to her doom.

Her eyes moved from the ground and up to me, glancing at my transformed, demonic visage, her ice blue eyes meeting my black sclerae and glowing white irises.

"Huh…"

"What?" I asked with my hollow, echoing voice.

"I figured you were carrying around a secret or something. But this? Got to say, wasn't expecting this."

I only gave a small hum of agreeance before asking, "Are you okay to walk?"

"Well… Not really to be honest… I may look calm, but falling from that high up really made me weak in the legs. So...thanks for saving me. Again."

"Again? Oh right… The alleyway… You pretty much saved yourself there."

"The effort still counts, handsome. And, not that I have a problem with it, but are you going to change back soon?"

"Yeah."

"Awww…"

"What?"

"Nothing…"

"Well, I'll carry you I guess until we get to the courtyard."

"No way. You're going to have to carry me to the infirmary."

I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh.

"What? You should be grateful you get to carry a beautiful maiden like me."

"Yeah yeah."

I went to move forward, but it seems that her talking was to distract me since only now I could feel her hand reaching below my waist to touch something that shouldn't be touched in public.

Safe to say I quickly moved her hand back into her lap as my Shadow Skin faded away from my body, like blackened ash in the wind. She gave me another unsatisfied pout as her rabbit ears folded against her head in disappointment.

What was she expecting?!

"You're no fun sometimes…"

"If you call jaffling my jimmies in public 'fun', then I seriously think you need to be re-educated on the definition of fun."

"Oh?" She asked as her ice blue rabbit ears perked up again, "Care to teach me a lesson mr. Dante?"

"Not in the sense you're thinking. That'd be inappropriate and illicit behavior between a school faculty member and a student. Thinking like that could get you in trouble."

"Do I look like the person who'd care about the trouble that would involve?" She asked with a coy smile.

"Nope. If you like, I could sing a song to you about "fun" that I learned from a yellow sponge on television once."

"I...think I'll take a rain check on that." She replied.

Me too. Although I sing that song to annoy people, I don't exactly like it either. Nor am I proud of the fact I've completely memorized that song.

I'm very ashamed of myself.

"So, do your siblings and partner know about you..? You know…"

"They know." I said with a chuckle.

She giggled slightly as she nestled herself in my arms to make herself more comfortable, "And here you were playing yourself off as someone who isn't that strong."

"Who said anything about that?"

"I mean… If you go far enough to hide the fact you killed a Drakian Hydra, you obviously don't want people to know you're that strong. But, you kinda blew that out of the water with Ezdeil."

"You heard about that?"

"Of course I did. We had a teacher meeting where at the end we were informed to immediately break you two up if got into a fight with each other."

"Do they not think that highly of us?" I asked with concern in my tone.

"Naw, it's not that. They just don't want the two of you blowing up the school is all."

"Oh. When you put it that way…"

"Jeez, negative much?"

"What else is someone supposed to think when they get told they're specifically to 'look out for these two'? I mean, I get it, safety of the school and all, but…"

"I get it, I guess. People get a little intimidated by really powerful people. It happens; it's within people's natures. So don't get too worked up about it, handsome." She said booping me on the nose with her finger.

"Yeah, whatever…" I said as we finally made it to the courtyard.

"Same time Tuesday?" She asked with her usual coy smile.

"I'll call you if things are blowing up."

Knowing my luck, it was going to happen on that exact day now.

* * *

 **It seems Dante and Elisia are getting along with each other just nicely... Not only that, but they've also uncovered a pretty important clue to a current mystery in Xera Stark's story Rogue Huntsmen, which this story is also a part of through the perspective of my characters. **

**Make sense?**

 **Besides our devil and little rabbit growing closer to one another, what of that voice Dante heard? I wonder what that was...**

 **(Insert Dark Souls 1 Siegmyer "Hmmmmmm")**

 **So with that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Of Fun and Outings**

«»

 **(Inuba POV)**

How does he study so ridiculously and earn such high marks on his exams?! It's...unnatural!

Master had completely forgotten to study for an exam, asked for my book to read the chapter, read it in five minutes, and scored perfectly! I am well educated, mostly in thanks to his help, but…

I wish I can do what he does, then I'd have an incredulous amount of free time as he does…

Who else can match his intelligence in fact?

Mr. Ezdeil, despite his usual demeanor, seemingly can perform marvelously if he cared enough. And Mr. Chroma...well…

I care very little, or rather, to a lesser degree.

He's such a rude cretin… Why is he attending this academy in the first place? It's easily clear he doesn't wish to be here at all with how rudely he behaves towards everyone, even the professors.

I'm surprised he hasn't received any referrals or suspensions yet.

I should go back to studying. The more I'm focused on this, the less time I allow his crudeness to worm its way into the depths of my mind.

…

Wait a moment… That Aura signature..! He actually comes to a library?! With that haughty attitude of his, I'd assume he'd stay in his room and avoid society entirely, like how a vampire avoids light.

I hid my head further in my book for a moment, forcing my fox ears to fold against my head to make sure they wouldn't stick out.

An interaction with HIM of all people right now would surely agitate me…

If it comes to that, just remember to remain calm and ignore most of what he says that's undesirable.

…

Or, I could attempt to converse with him and reconcile any… discrepancies. Even if it was HIS fault. Still though, why would he be at the library currently?

He is reading something at the terminal… Maybe something for school?

I felt the collar of my shirt vibrate slightly, prompting me to bring up my hand, and with it, a white, holographic screen that displayed that I had a new message, which I soon opened.

 _'I know you're watching me, Fox.'_

W-What-?! Who-?

I glanced at the sender's name, seeing it as just a jumble of random numbers and letters. But no one remotely uses 'Fox' as my name with exception to Ciel, which means…

Brilliant, he knows my Scroll number. Now he'll torture me endlessly no doubt.

 _'I wasn't staring.'_

 _'Taking glances then. Same thing. Do you think I'm blind or something?'_

 _'I think you to be crude and somewhat ignorant, but blind to a degree, yes. Is sarcasm and rudeness the only thing you are capable of?'_

 _'I'm capable of many things, I just limit them depending on the individual I'm conversing with.'_

 _'Clearly you are limited in some capacities… How did you come by my Scroll number?'_

 _'Child's play. Don't think you're invisible when you're connected to this network.'_

I'll have to ask Master once again about setting up the private network for us. I really would not like Mr. Chroma to get into my files. Or Master's for that matter.

 _'Are those images of your partner? Questionable.'_

 _'D-Don't you dare touch those! Or say a word about that! B-Besides, he's very photogenic!'_

 _It's honestly ridiculous how many people ask to take pictures with him… And irking to a degree that man of them are girls…_

 _'Too late, they're blackmail material now.'_

…

I might have a legitimate reason now to kill him…

No, I can't do that… Maybe Master can infiltrate his network…

 _'Please don't do anything rash Mr. Chroma.'_

Or cause my blood pressure to rise exponentially…

 _'You're assuming I have a reason to do anything with these images. They're of no use to me and I wouldn't be caught dead with them saved to my storage devices.'_

 _'Considering I almost burned a hole through your deltoid muscle and cephalic vein, I would have reason to assume you would do something of the sort out of spite.'_

 _'Considering that's not the worst thing to happen to me, I really don't care. You were showing off to impress your "Master" and you know it.'_

 _'I don't need to "show off" to him. He already knows I am very highly skilled in combat.'_

 _'Keep telling yourself that. The second you nearly crippled me, you looked to him for approval.'_

 _'That wouldn't have crippled you. It only would have only caused intense pain to course through your system.'_

 _'Pain is an old friend.'_

…

I stared at my holographic screen, wondering if he was insensitive to pain like Master. Or maybe he merely possess a high tolerance for it..?

I may start to feel somewhat guilty for my harshness now…

 _'In any case, what are you doing here?'_

 _'Why do you care?'_

 _'One, you're not a social person. Two, you wouldn't be in a crowded place such as this without a legitimate purpose or reason, not even to do homework, which you've clearly demonstrated you barely have interest in. The only explainable reason for your presence here means you are very likely up to no good.'_

 _'You didn't answer my question. Why do you care?'_

 _'Gods know if you're planning to shut off the power in the school for a prank or a nefarious science project. I'd at least like to know in case I need to prepare for the worst case scenario.'_

Knowing him, it could be for the sake of a cruel prank.

 _'You're paranoid if you think I'm going to do something as menial as that. Could I interest you in some meditation courses?'_

 _'Experience has taught me caution around your type, Mr. Chroma. Though I may not know your intentions clearly, you could have an array of reasons for being here, good or bad.'_

 _'Why don't you study like a good dog instead of questioning my motives?'_

 _'For the last time, I'm not an animal! I may have an extra pair of ears and a tail, but you don't have the right or privilege to treat me as one! Do you have something against those of the Faunus population?!'_

Is he one of the many that don't take kindly to those of the Faunus variety?

 _'I have Faunus sisters, and one of my closest allies is a Faunus. Insinuating that I'm a racist just further proves that you have no idea who I am.'_

I let out a short breath of frustration before typing back, _'Then why do you treat me so poorly? The only grievance I've ever caused you was in combat class.'_

 _'Dante told me where you come from, Inuba.'_

He…told Mr. Chroma..? Why did he..?

 _'Kitsune are extremely rare on this planet. Seeing two in one place is rare. Plus with the way you hold yourself, it's obvious you aren't "naturally occurring". You act like royalty, and yet sovereignty hasn't existed on this world for over 100 years. So don't even bother trying to convince me that you're a Faunus.'_

At least he's perceptive to some degree… From what I heard, Faunus-kind here only have one animalistic trait, and yet Kitsuki and I both possess two traits, ears and tails. As far as others are concerned, we're a sort of mutation…

 _'I may be royalty Mr. Chroma, but I do not flaunt it about or act self-important.'_

 _'Could've fooled me. Your speech, mannerisms, and generic behaviour suggest otherwise. How about you drop the act and reveal your real colours instead of trying to expose me?'_

 _'There is no "act" to drop. I don't use my royalty as an excuse to do as I please whenever I please.'_

 _'The nearest star system to this one is called Eridanus Capui, nearly 247 lightyears away. Scientists still can't determine whether the planets are habitable, and yet you came here in the blink of an eye, right outside my doorstep, establishing a home in less than a day, and yet you have the nerve to tell me that you don't act like royalty? Give me a break.'_

 _'It's not as if you own the mountain…'_

Though, us appearing out of thin air does cause people to ask questions…

 _'That's your response? Can't even give me a logical answer. Typical.'_

 _'We didn't claim it as part of some "royal decree". Seeing as the peak of the mountain was secluded, we wished to establish our home there. How exactly are we supposed to know there is another person located in or around the mountain when there clearly weren't any signs?'_

There really weren't.

 _'It's not even just about me. Your group constructed a god damned shield around the mountain and the village nearby, "protecting" the villagers that I had kept watch over for five years. Your behaviour literally BROADCASTS your belief that you're superior to the people of this world.'_

 _'Again, there were no clear signs of any other significant presence in the mountain. And it would only make sense to protect the villagers below if we're capable of it, and especially since we live there in a basic sense.'_

 _'Funny. Your mother found and broke into my home just fine. Talking shit about making sure my work wasn't nefarious. Maybe you should remind her that she is in no position to judge what's right and wrong in this world when her existence here is limited to quarter of a year.'_

 _'And yet you judge us so freely and unfairly.'_

 _'It's hardly unfair. You all radiate a holier-than-thou atmosphere that I didn't even need special equipment to detect it.'_

 _'And yet you're highly saturated with sarcasm and child-like bitterness.'_

 _'Incredible, you think minor insults will garner you leverage. Please feel free to defend your pride further with nonsensical responses. It's highly amusing.'_

 _'Are you sure it's my pride I need to defend Mr. Chroma?'_

Even though he was simply testing me, he would never stand a chance against me in a real fight.

 _'It doesn't matter in the end, you'll get swallowed whole by the encroaching negativity just like the rest of us.'_

 _'You must be delusional if you think that's the case.'_

 _'You and your ilk have been on this planet for 3 months. I have been here for 17 years. Tell me, who do you think is the delusional one between the both of us? Trust me Inuba, I know this planet far better than you do.'_

 _'And if you actually knew better, you would know that doesn't have to be the case. A difference can be made with the appropriate will, dedication, and effort. Such things are slowly degrading, that much we've realized being here. But it can be done. We just have to try. All of us.'_

 _'You think you can save this rock from its doomed existence? You'll die trying. Immortal or not. If 100 years of countless, highly skilled warriors couldn't do it, what makes you think you can?'_

 _'We saved far more in much less time. Although our own personal circumstances have been grim a few months ago, no pun intended mind you, we can still help in our own way.'_

 _'I'll believe that when I see it. Eradicating a dark force that's existed longer than all of humanity isn't as easy as you make it out to be. Call me cynical, but I very much doubt you, your partner, and two children will save an entire planet.'_

 _'Worse have tried to kill us. And we've always put them to rest, no matter the circumstances.'_

 _'Your words ring hollow to a person like me. Self-assurance will get you nowhere if you don't live up to your own expectations. If you think you're the saviours of this world, I guarantee you're not the first. And I'll be damned to take your word on anything.'_

 _'Did you see the footage of the Hydra altercation?'_

 _'I was there, dumbass. I know what you did. If it wasn't for me, the injured would have died regardless of your actions. Besides, others have achieved more than you have.'_

 _'And I'm grateful for your efforts in protecting the others. But I wasn't speaking of what I did.'_

If Master had even a fraction of his old power…

 _'You are so full of yourselves…'_

 _'You saw what he did, didn't you?'_

 _'I saw, wasn't as impressive as you make it out to be.'_

 _'You would eat your words if you even had the faintest idea of what he's accomplished. He's not as strong as he used to be, and for good reason. But given time, he will be once again.'_

 _'What makes you think I care how powerful he is? This isn't a pissing contest, Kitsune. Killing Grimm is only a small portion of this world's problems. You're naive if you think that Dante can suppress all of them.'_

 _'After what I've seen, and what you and others have yet to see, you'd be naive to think he can't. He can and will very likely be the at forefront, creating the path for the rest to follow close behind. If he can do it, everyone else can too.'_

 _'Spoken just like a fangirl.'_

 _'Maybe I am. But I and many others believe in him for a very good reason. "Impossible" is a concept that is inapplicable to him. For instance, many would think Mr. Ezdeil to be untouchable, which, if he decides, can make it so. But my partner would find a way to make it a reality.'_

 _'Wow that's super interesting, I really liked the part where you perched your boyfriend on an unattainable pedestal.'_

…

If only that were the case… Just thinking of it happening makes me...incredibly happy.

 _'What do you think then? That he was simply given what he had?'_

 _'I'm thinking that... I don't care about Dante. You keep speaking about him as if I'm some kind of heretic plotting against your delusional religion, but in reality, Inuba, I just do not give a fuck.'_

 _'I… understand your connotation with "religion", but we aren't a cult or anything of the sort if that was something present on your mind.'_

 _'Then stop talking about him and his "amazing" feats. The only reason I messaged you to begin with was because you kept stealing glances of me and questioning my reasons for being in the library. But since you're such a poor, paranoid little fox, let me alleviate your concerns, I am in the library browsing the internet because it's quiet.'_

He's definitely not here to surf the interwebs. He's up to something devious, indefinitely.

Thank you mother for passing on your sharp, perceptive abilities.

But along with perception…

 _'Is there anything I can do currently to alleviate the rather powerful tension?'_

 _'Define "tension".'_

He's incredibly dimwitted if he believes I meant it in that way.

 _'Obviously there are frustrations and grievances between the two of us currently, and my mother in a sense. Despite your misguided views of us and our mannerisms, we mean no harm. And if we did unintentionally disrespect you, I'd like to apologize on both of ours behalves.'_

 _'Let me make something absolutely clear to you. ALL of you, have proven to be nothing to me but a pain in my ass. You, your mother, and your insufferable partner all fail to leave me to my own devices, and that is a very quick way to piss me off. So, if you wish to rectify this situation, don't ever interact with me again. Understood?'_

Gladly. But…

 _'And what if there's unavoidable circumstances?'_

 _'The only time I'll work with any of you is out of necessity. Do yourselves a favor, and stop pursuing a relationship with me, and I'll do the same.'_

 _'Very well then… But...what is your reason for being so...hostile and antisocial? Particularly in my case? I've seen how you interact with others and you're much harsher with me specifically. Is there a reason for it?'_

 _'Your nature puts you at a disadvantage because I've met your kind before and the first impressions were less than stellar. I didn't come here to make friends, the interaction I have with my team is strictly professional, and the same applies to other students.'_

 _'I...understand then. I'll make sure to relay this information to my teammates as well. And we'll do our best not to cross paths with you unless it's unavoidable circumstance.'_

 _'Good. I'm sick and tired of playing pretend.'_

Pretend..? That could mean many things…But I'll leave it be for now.

 _'I'm glad we could come to an understanding.'_

I closed my holographic display and glanced over once more, seeing him packing up and ready to leave. I, however, was going to remain until he left.

"Hey, did you hear? Our TA Ms. Fey was on that airship that was attacked by that weirdo."

"Yeah, I heard Dante was on that airship too. Apparently he and ms. Fey were dealing with that guy until ms. Fey was thrown out the window."

"Seriously?! What happened after that?!"

"What do you think? Dante saved her of course."

"Woah…"

I let out a proud huff overhearing the three girls a distance away speaking of a good deed Master performed. Though, I didn't hear of this "airship" business until now. I wonder what transpired?

"And get this, Mia apparently saw Dante carrying ms. Fey to the infirmary!"

"What?!"

…

Any sense of pride I just felt vanished in an instant, the wood of the desk in my grasp splintering very easily. I could feel my face twitching slightly as stood there for a moment, grabbing my belongings and quickly walking out.

* * *

I quickly opened the door to the infirmary, seeing that the nurse wasn't present before I heard voices in the back. Though, it didn't sound like just simple voices.

I swear I could hear moaning.

There wouldn't be enough to prepare me for what I hoped I wasn't going to see.

My pace slowed into silent steps, allowing me to traverse the distance silently in but a few seconds as I drew the curtain open.

Master was indeed present, as was ms. Fey, and…

They thankfully weren't doing what I thought they were that I've only read about in certain books and the like.

Instead, I saw the long sleeves of Master's shirt rolled up, his hands slowly moving up and down the thin form of Ms. Fey's back, her back glistening in a clear substance.

Why was he here giving her a massage?!

I...want one too…

Wait a moment…

My nose picked up a form of herbal scent from the viscous liquid, which gave me the impression he was rubbing pain relief ointment on her back.

I still didn't like that she currently had no top layer of clothing on, despite her front facing the top of the bed.

"Oh? It's looks like your partner's here mr. Dante."

Master's head turned slightly so that our eyes could meet, "Heya."

Although he looked calm and relaxed, I was anything but that.

"W-What are you doing?"

"Oh. Well, you're gonna find out later either way, so I may as well come clean now."

No..! You can't possibly mean..?!

"We were those two people on the news dealing with that 'guy' that turned out to be a Wraith. Elisia got thrown out the window back first, I rescued her, and here we are with me rubbing ointment on her back."

I looked to our TA and saw her giving me a rather mischievous grin, "Pray tell what else you thought was happening here?"

"N-Nothing! I just heard something had happened and came to see where he was and if he was okay! That's all!"

"Oh? Looks like you're really concerned about your partner ms. Kitsukami."

"She's just that way. And I didn't get into any trouble either." He finished looking at me again as he continued massaging her.

"If I didn't know any better, it looks like she really lo-"

"I-In any sense, is all well with you?" I quickly asked Master, cutting her off.

"Yeah, all good."

"And the Wraith?"

"Banished. Not sure when it might be back, if it all."

"To think there are Wraiths here as well…"

"From what mr. Dante told me, this Wraith isn't entirely the same as the ones like you faced before. Remember the mask it wore?"

"Yeah. It had a white bone mask with numerous red markings. Just like the Grimm do."

"Like the Grimm?" I questioned.

"I heard professor Gladian talk about them before, but that was ages ago. If anything, you should ask him about it since this is his area of expertise."

"Aren't you supposed to know these things too?" Questioned Master.

"Hey, he still hasn't taught me everything yet. Even I've got a ways to go."

A few more moments of silence and Master had grabbed a towel to cleanse his hands of the ointment.

"Alright, any better?"

"Loads. Thanks, handsome."

H-H-H-Handsome?! When did she start calling him that?!

"Hey, ms. Kitsukami, stick around for a bit."

"M-Me..?"

"Well, are there any other ms. Kitsukami's present?"

"No…"

Looking to Master, I could see him glaring slightly at our TA, who returned the glare with her coy smile.

"Relax, I won't do anything to your partner. We're just gonna chat is all. You can go."

Master looked to me, but I only nodded towards him to say it was alright for him to leave.

"I'll see you later then."

A few moments later, and the door had closed, leave ms. Fey and I alone in the nurse's office.

"So…" she began, "How long have you two known each other?"

That was...a somewhat surprising question from her.

"About a decade or more, I suppose."

"Heh, your old fashioned way of speaking is actually pretty cute, you know?"

"T-Thank you…"

She lifted herself up, forcing my head to look away from her bare front as she grabbed her sleeveless blouse and put it back on, buttoning it up.

"So do you like him?"

"W-Who?!" I meekly replied in hurried tone.

"Come on, I see the way you look at him. And the entire time we were interacting, you looked really tense."

"Uh…"

"No, you don't just like him. You love him."

Why is she asking me these questions?!

I didn't know how to respond to such forward accusations… Well, it's… It's a true fact, rather than an accusation, but…

"Your expression says it all. Alrighty then. Do you always get so tense when he's talking to other girls? Nervous even?"

There's no use in lying. She knows full well.

"Y-Yes…"

"Threatened? Jealous?"

…

I'm not entirely sure if feeling threatened is partly what I feel when I see him interacting with others of the female persuasion...but jealous…

"Alright, clearly I made you a bit uncomfortable here. Understandable since you've got your eye on him. So how about this? To make up for it, you and I are gonna hang out for today."

"P-Pardon?"

"Come on, it'll be my treat. Let's go out and have some fun today."

"I don't want to trouble you and-"

"Nah, it's alright. Besides, while we're out, we can discuss 'strategy'. I do know a thing or two."

…

Well, if she insists…

"I...suppose I can…"

"Great! Let's meet up at the docks in thirty minutes!"

"Are you sure? You were injured and-"

"My Aura healed anything underneath the hood. The ointment just helped with the pain and anything deeper. Just in case. Now come on! Go get ready!"

"But, I'm already ready."

"Really? Is that all you wear?"

"Well, yes and no, but…"

"Okay, add shopping to the list of things to do for the day. If we're lucky, we might be able to snag a sexy pair of lingerie for you."

…

I don't know whether or not I like her or dislike her.

* * *

"Alright Inuba, let's see it."

I'm...hesitant to go out.

"Come on girl, don't be shy."

I took a deep breath and opened up the dressing room curtain, stepping out a few moments later.

Ms. Fey seemed impressed given the sound of awe she gave me. What I wore was a sleeveless white blouse with a collar, and a pair of light blue jeans, where the fabric was somewhat thin and soft.

"Nice! Your figure really makes the outfit agree with you."

I couldn't help but shy away a bit, unaware of ms. Fey's attempts to grab me from behind.

"Wha-?! M-Ms. Fey?!"

"I'm sort of jealous Inuba… You have a really nice figure you know? I don't know how you and Dante are a thing yet, but it's clear he's wasting something really good. Of course, I'm fine with my figure as I am, but every now and then you can help but feel jealous of someone a bit."

She let me go suddenly and backed away slightly, allowing me to step back towards the dressing room.

"Alright, try out the other top and bottoms."

"Must I..?"

"Of course! Remember, this is to get you thinking about other tops and bottoms. From what I see, all you wear are skirts. Don't you want to mix it up a bit?"

"Well…"

"Good answer. Now go on! Try them on!"

I let out a silent grumble and moved back into the dressing room, first removing the jeans and setting them to the side before taking off the blouse.

I looked to my side, spotting the pair of silk, black tights first and putting them on first before I put on the rest and stepped out, dressed in a pair of grey shorts over the tights, and a white, casual, pullover cotton turtleneck sweater with vertical line patterns.

This outfit was one I liked more.

"Wow~! You look so much cuter in this one!"

"Do I..?"

"Duh! I wouldn't say it if that wasn't the case! We're buying this one. And you're going to wear it all day."

"But..!"

"Ah! No buts! My treat today, so that's how it's going to be. Okay?"

"Very well…"

"Awesome! She'll be taking this one!"

While ms. Fey spoke with the clerk, I spun around to face the mirror and glanced at myself once more, turning to different angles to further examine myself.

Now that I look at it, the sweater is moderately tight around my form, and is somewhat emphasizing my bust…

And the tights...they were really form fitting…

Perhaps that was the point? Maybe...he'd like it a lot…

The thought of him complimenting me brought about a good feeling, so much so I curled the strands of my white hair from my bangs around my finger. Thinking about it again soon made my fox tail whip about a bit.

"Ready to go?"

"Oh, yes. Where are we heading to next if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well, let's go to lunch first. Then, let's go see a movie."

"Which movie?"

"The Shape of Aqua."

…

…

I wanted to see that movie! With Master if I could!

"Onwards my fluffy tailed friend!"

* * *

"That movie...was so touching…"

"Definitely one of the better ones I've seen this year. Heh… You know, that movie kinda made me think of you. And Dante of course." Ms. Fey stated as we walked along the street away from the theater.

"I-In what way?!"

Hopefully the excitement in my voice didn't give me away.

"Well if you think about it, you two are kinda opposites in a few ways. Despite that, you guys really get along together nicely."

"Well, I suppose there are some similarities to be drawn from the film..."

If only I had that woman's courage to proudly and easily display my love…

"Do you two ever fight?"

"No, not really. Of course, we have differences of opinion at times. My partner prefers the more...forceful approach in certain situations, where mainly I prefer the diplomatic approach first."

"Hehe, it kinda shows."

I must admit...I've been having a lot more fun with ms. Fey than I originally thought I would. We went shopping, we went to lunch, we went to the mall in Vale, and saw the movie we just did. And spending time with her is...interesting.

Master did say I should try to meet new people and make friends with them. And so far, I'm enjoying this new friend of mine. You'd think with ms. Fey's carefree, lax attitude, she wouldn't be able to strike up a conversation for an extensive period of time about a singular subject. But she's actually a very sophisticated conversationalist.

It's...enjoyable.

"So, I have a question for you."

"Yes?"

"Are you an Affinity user?"

Affinity user..? Is this an individual that possesses a special ability or power?

"I...don't know what that is…"

"Huh… With that whole thing you can do with fire, I thought you might've been one. But if you don't know… Well, alright. I'll give you a rundown of what an Affinity user is since I brought it up. And it'll be good to know in case you run into one."

We continued down the street under the night sky, the street lamp posts lighting our way with each step we took.

"So then, what exactly is an Affinity? To answer that, Affinities are genetically transferred through a magic system of matching by a being's personality, or soul. The specific Affinity searches for matching criteria it can bond to, and this bond is what fuels the magic powering the genetic elemental fragment it carries. Take me for instance. I'm an Ice Affinity user."

As she said this, while we continued walking, she extended her palm upwards and then used the index finger of her other hand, swirling it around in circular formations as ice formed in her palm, quickly taking my shape. It was as if I was staring at a miniature ice sculpture of myself.

"The criteria, by the way, is super specific. And an Affinity will only bind to someone who matches it perfectly. Furthermore, we can fuel our Affinities through the elements in relation to what we can manipulate, or we can fuel them with Aura. So with me, that'd be Ice and with anything liquid-like."

In a way, my own abilities are almost like that of an Affinity that manipulates flame. How much stronger would an Affinity user like that be? Would their ability exceed mine?

"Each element derives from two creation energies, those being Aether and Void. Those, by the way, can't be harnessed in any way."

That almost sounds as if she's referencing Light and Dark. Or it may as well be something else entirely.

"Now here's the really important part of this lesson. Overall, there are two types of Affinity users; those that are Ancestral, or Original Fragment users, and Mutation based users. Ancestrals are users that have Original Fragments, which have perfect balances of Aether and Void compositions inside the element they can specifically manipulate. In my case, I'm an Original Ice Affinity user, meaning I can have perfect control of ice with different combinations. So long as there's ice in it, I can control it way better than a Mutation user."

"And what of these Mutation based users?"

"Well, Mutations don't have that perfect balance we Ancestrals do, which means they can't reach the same higher levels we can, they're linear. They can do more or less the same as an Ancestral, just not as strongly. Plus, they're limited to only the elements they posses."

"Meaning?"

"Say there's a Mutation based user who can control ice and lightning as a combo. They can only control combinations that have either fire or lightning. As for what I'm limited to, I'm only limited to things that have ice in them. The big difference between an Ancestral and a Mutation user is potency really. Sure, it takes lots of effort and practice on my part, but I've got the advantage when it comes to strength and control. A Mutation based user has the advantage in variety."

"Then if an Affinity user of the Mutation variety where to face you, you would win?"

"Oh yeah, definitely. It took a lot of effort and practice, but I've got seriously fine tuned control with my Affinity. Which means it's super strong. But it isn't entirely one sided you know."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, let me give you an example. Say there's a Wind Affinity user that's an Ancestral, and this guy is super strong. Problem is, he treats his Affinity as a simple tool, nothing else. Now, say there's a little girl that's a Mutation based user who can also manipulate wind, only she doesn't see it as a tool, and takes more care of it. That little girl would theoretically be able to take control of the wind and use it better than that guy would."

"I see… So it wouldn't be far fetched to imply that Affinities are in a way sentient?"

"Nope. Afterall, how do you think they're able to choose people based off of specific criteria? It's kind of like a relationship with someone. The more you love 'em, the stronger the bond is. Someone who cares for and loves their Affinity compared to someone who hates or is afraid of their Affinity is much stronger."

"Then...that means Affinities are in a way fueled by emotion as well?"

"You got it sister. So, how was my teaching? Good? Bad?"

"You certainly made it worthwhile to listen to."

"Yay!" She said giving me a hug as we continued walking.

Speaking of…

"Um, where exactly are we going?"

"One last stop for the night, Inuba. Perfect way to wind down after a good day of fun."

* * *

"Why are we here again?" I asked entering the bar known as

The Black Stallion.

"This, my fluffy tailed friend, is our last stop for the night. Part of the whole de-stressing process. Relax, I'm here with you, so it'll be fine. That, and he owns this place." she said, casually gesturing towards the barkeep.

Wait a moment… My word, is that Mr. Ezdeil?! Is he the proprietor of this establishment?!

"Hey guys! What might you all be doing here?" Ms. Fey blurted out as she dragged me across the room.

"Nothing nefarious, I promise."

Wait, that voice…

Turning my head, I could also see someone else I didn't expect.

Ms. Anoel from ELAA, and...someone else…

The other person she was with in a booth had shoulder length, straight blonde hair with dyed lilac ends. Her attire consisted of a tight white t-shirt covered by a long duster coat of the same colour and bleached, distressed jeans. The tails of her coat flowed to the middle of her thighs. For footwear, she had lilac, high-top canvas shoes.

Most interestingly however had to be her eyes, which were a bright pink.

The last person I knew that had pink eyes was...well...a very disturbed individual. I hope she isn't the same...

"We were just fantasizing sexually."

I see ms. Anoel is still as open as ever...

"Oh? Who about?" Ms. Fey asked taking a seat across from ms. Anoel and her friend, prompting me to sit next to my rabbit Faunus companion for the day, "Tall and brooding behind the counter?"

"Whenever I feel adventurous, I have sexual fantasies about most people I see." She replied with a teasing smile, "Just in case I ever come across a mind reader."

A small chortle from ms. Anoel's companion seemingly gave her away.

"Oh~? Am I perhaps eye-catching enough for such an honor?"

"Your flirting game is weak." The woman next to ms. Anoel rejected.

"Depends." Ms. Anoel replied, "I'm already picturing you in lingerie."

"Lucky me, I'm wearing my best right now."

"Lovely. May I see?" Anoel asked.

"This enough?" Ms. Fey replied, tugging down the collar of her shirt low enough for Anoel and Ly to see, showing her milky collarbone and shoulder to peek what she was hiding.

I turned my head away from the display, hearing ms. Anoel let a soft reverberation, "Makes me wonder what else you're hiding."

"Santo dio…" The unknown woman murmured as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"So, what're you wearing?" She asked, looking in my direction.

"M-Me?!" I asked in surprise to ms. Anoel's question.

"I mean, I can already see your lovely body's curves just fine, this is just for curiosity's sake." She commented, giving me an amused smirk.

"She's wearing monochrome underwear." The woman answered, much to my horror, "Is that string tie I sense?"

"You're quite right, Ly." Ms. Anoel added, her smirk turning very devious, "Perfect for…quickly disrobing."

I feel so ashamed right now..!

I couldn't cope with their words and hid my reddened face behind my hands.

"What are you...?" I heard ms. Fey starting, pausing for a moment, "Oh my goodness..! Aren't you just adorable?" she said hugging me despite the shame I felt at the moment.

I can't believe they now know why..!

"Aside from asking you about sexual escapades, I am curious why you're here. And with Inuba, of all people."

"Well, I certainly needed a good way to unwind. He may not seem like it, but Professor Gladian can be a real slave driver sometimes." Ms. Fey stated, "I kinda have to pick up the slack in terms of work he leaves unfinished. Like grading papers. As for this one… Well…boy troubles, kinda my fault. So I'm helping her out a bit."

"Is it the hot and bothered kind of problem? If it is, I have a pretty good idea of who this boy is." Ms. Anoel responded, eyes glancing to me.

"After the whole panties thing, I can tell just how serious she is. Didn't quite understand her reaction at first when I 'accidentally' ripped his shirt during class and made him eye candy for a few of the others. Now I do." Ms. Fey commented.

"Well, doing that in front of the entire class really makes a statement, you know. I think some girls even swooned. Inuba came very close…"

"This is why I never want to attend Beacon Academy…" The woman known to us as Ly sighed.

"Honey, I can rip your clothes off whenever I want."

"Only because I gave you unconditional permission."

"In any case," Elisia interjected, "My fault for stressing her out, so we've been out all day as my way of repaying her. And now we're here."

"Oh? So all I have to do is get a little hot and bothered in class and I get to go out on a date with you?" Ano asked.

"For you? Maybe. But really, she was more stressed out about the swooning more than anything."

"Hmm… If you're having this kind of jealousy problem, I guess this really is a big issue… It's only natural though," Ms. Anoel pointed out, "They're all young adults crammed into a singular setting surrounded by bodies attractively sculpted by Aura and training regimes."

"Well…mostly." Ly idly commented.

It's true really. I didn't quite like how the vast majority of the girls in class stared at him, as if he were a piece of meat. Some even took pictures! And still take pictures to this day!

Of course, I'm not entirely innocent either, even though my reasons are more...genuine.

"Well don't you worry. I'll knock the competition down when there's any, if that makes you feel a little better." Ms. Fey offered.

"A little…" I replied.

Ms. Anoel quietly sighed, "You're head over tails for him, aren't you?"

"V-Very much so..." I muttered back, "Many people have had…different reasons for focusing their attention on him. Some not for the best reasons or intentions."

My voice grew quieter, embarrassment slowly rising in my tone as I recalled numerous other instances of such occurrences.

"I…may not have the purest thoughts about him at times, but with how long we've known each other, what we've been through, and how much he's suffered on my behalf… I can't help but feel as intensely as I-I…do…a-about…him..."

Admitting it openly to others was difficult as it was… But I soon leveled my gaze to this "Ly", noticing she was staring at me in a way that was...uncomfortable.

"E-Excuse me?" I managed to squeak out.

"Are they real?" Ly asked, realization now hitting me thy her eyes were staring at my bust for sometime.

"W-What?!"

"Your breasts." Anoel clarified.

I know what she meant! I just couldn't believe that'd she simply ask such a question!

I immediately hid covered my chest with my hands, hiding it from view while Ms. Fey answered with an "ok" gesture, "One hundred percent authentic."

Ms. Ly took a sip from her drink before replying, "Interesting."

Ms. Anoel's gaze quickly switched back to ms. Fey with a flash of intrigue, "You've felt them?" She said with disappointment in her tone.

"Pounced her in the locker room today out of curiosity. The results? Satisfying..."

…

I was caught unaware by her at the time...

"And you didn't invite me?" Ms. Anoel asked, looking genuinely hurt.

Ms. Ly cleared her throat, getting another smile out of her companion.

"Let's swap numbers and I'll let you know when I plan my next 'attack'."

Please don't give her anymore ideas Ms. Fey!

"Honey, just announce it in class. It's not like it's a secret or anything where her true interests lie." Ms. Anoel's eyes slowly traced over to me as a smile formed, "Everybody already knows."

It's almost troubling how everyone else knows...and yet he…

...

"I…can't quite tell him yet…" Inuba replied meekly.

"Of course not." Ms. Anoel's smirk remained, her hand finding her way to her glass as she lifted it to drink, "But I can."

"P-Please don't! I have no doubt you know why by now given your…ability..!"

"It's quite easy to know why, honey." She responded evenly, setting her glass back down.

"Just write it on your boobs and flash him. Easy." Ms. Ly mischievously suggested.

"I-I can't do that! That's...!"

"Lewd?" She interjected, flashing me a toothy grin.

"She's worried they'll bounce too much and distract him." Ms. Anoel offered, "That's why I prefer your size, Ly."

"Trust me, that's already a thing. It's honestly adorable how hard he tries to look away." Ms. Fey cut in.

…

He really does look my way…

Even if it was a minuscule reason, I still felt a sense of great joy within me.

"Does he snap his neck trying to face the other direction then?" Ms. Ly wondered.

"It's hard to miss when he's the only guy in the room looking elsewhere." Ms. Anoel added, "And trust me, you may have also turned a couple girls bi by strolling into this school."

Bi? What does she mean by that?

"Alright alright, we've had our fun. Let's leave her be for now. Can we get two of what you're having?" Ms. Fey asked.

"Speaking of which, I need a refill. Niro! Make yourself useful!" Ms. Ly called out, only for mr. Ezdeil to point down.

A new drink was already sitting in front of her.

That was...actually impressive...

"You said to keep it topped off." he commented idly, moving onto the other two drinks.

They were soon slid in front of ms. Fey and I just as quickly.

"Much appreciated." Ms. Ly responded, giving him a thumbs up.

"What sort of drink is this?" Ms. Fey asked.

Ms. Anoel stirred her glass as she glanced down into it, "Whiskey, bourbon, ice."

"A drink that makes you happy." Ms. Ly added, downing her beverage in one hit and watching amusedly as it refilled before her eyes.

I watched the others for a few moments before I too began slowly drinking my own in one go, just as the others did.

It was...refreshing… But admittingly, I started to feel...quite warm, and slightly drowsy.

"That's the spirit!"

"Triple pun. That's horrible." Ms. Anoel chortled, receiving a nudge.

"Ah! That was good!" Ms. Fey's own glass sat empty, a pleasant sigh leaving her lips.

"Laugh all you want…" I replied, not caring for the hiccup I let out, "It doesn't matter to me in the slightest..."

"Are you a lightweight..?" Ms. Anoel asked.

"N-No...!" I quickly defended with another hiccup, a pout forming on my face, "Most certainly not…"

They already know what I wear underneath… They don't need to know anything else...

"Well, while you're easing away from sobriety, might as well ask you a few questions. With Dante always on your mind, I take it you've never kissed anyone yet? Saving it for him?"

At this point, my drowsiness grew stronger, allowing me to only nod rapidly in response, making me sway back and forth slightly.

"Are you ever afraid someone might steal your first kiss?" Anoel continued.

Constantly! It's why I reject everyone who confesses! Because I don't want anyone else!

"Mmmmm… Yes...?"

"But what if Dante steals it?" Ms. Ly questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"He can…steal it whenever he wishes to…"

Why does he never ask..? If he did, I'd always allow it...

"Do you think he'd stop anyone else who would try?" Anoel asked.

"Probably… I… don't really know what he thinks anymore…"

Ironic given we're both connected to each other by our souls… I can barely hear his thoughts these days...

Ms. Anoel shook her head at that, "Trust me, you don't want to know. But there's really only one way to find out."

"H-How...?"

She has experience in this field, doesn't she? She'd know what to do..!

I heard ms. Anoel sigh in response as she slid her way around the booth's interior, making her way over to our side before looking over me, "If he's as fast as I think he is, I think he can stop me from kissing you. Right?"

"Wha...?"

"Best to not question the logic, just as long as it works." she said leaning in closer to me.

Her hand reached over and lightly turned my face towards hers as we were but a few inches apart.

"I'm very good at stealing things… So don't be surprised if I can actually steal this."

I...I think she's trying to kiss me…

I don't really want to her… I'd prefer it was Master… More than anything…

She was just about to...until a hand slid in between us.

* * *

 **(Dante POV)**

What could Inuba be doing in this place? It was the question of the lifetime for me at the moment as I stood outside the Black Stallion bar, a bar that Nosferatu, aka Niro Ezdeil, owned.

Not only that, but that TA Elisia is with her too, along with Anoel and...someone else's Aura Signature I couldn't recognize.

Though something was off… Inuba's signature was...frantic. Was she being bothered by someone?

I opened the door and entered inside, not even glancing in Ezdeil's direction as I spotted the party of four I was looking for. I was relieved to see everything was okay.

That was until I saw Anoel noticeably getting closer to my partner.

Wait...is she...trying to kiss Inuba?

…

I don't know why, but that actually made me angry a little.

And I almost never get angry.

Before Anoel got the chance, my hand immediately rushed between their faces, stopping Anoel's advance as she looked to me with a mischievous smile.

"Now just what might you be thinking of doing?" I asked.

Her smile quickly grew wider as she leaned away, lightly tapping Inuba's cheek before bringing her hand back into her lap.

"Mind explaining to me just what you were about to do?" I asked.

She glanced towards me again, this time with an innocent gaze, "Afraid she might've liked kissing a girl?"

Which would have been the case if she woke up and remembered that happened.

"No… I'm more than sure she likely would've been mortified that she did something like that without remembering."

"Awe, comments like that hurt you know." Anoel pouted.

I think you fail to realize the fact I honestly don't care.

"And what if I actually kissed her?"

I let out a chuckle, my eyes closing for a moment as a smile formed on my face, "Well…" I started as I leaned in closer to Anoel, making damn well sure she heard me and would remember my words carefully, "I'd probably have to do something unpleasant..."

The air felt colder around us as my eyes opened to glare at Anoel with my Shadow Eyes present. The lights even flickered for a few brief moments as the wooden table creaked loudly under the force of my grip.

I didn't really care if Ezdouche was about to fly halfway across the world in a second to try and clock me. I would have thrown his emo ass out the window if he so much as touched me…

…

Why am I almost always getting violent thoughts when I see Niro?

Stop it brain.

Whether she was playing off her intimidation, oddly enough Anoel gazed back with a widening smile, "Worked like a charm, then."

Before anything else could be said or done, I heard an audible chomping noise, and felt a slightly wet warmth on my forearm. Considering I felt the pain starting to set in, this could only mean one thing.

Everyone turned their heads towards my arm as the quiet chomping noise continued, all the while I contained my silenced wince as I too then looked down.

Inuba had her lips clasped onto my forearm as she gnawed on it. In a muffled voice, we all heard her say "Don't be mean!"

It's bad enough she's drunk, worse that Anoel tried taking advantage of her. But she thinks I was being mean?

Say that to the one that was trying to take advantage of you!

I tried to move my forearm, but Inuba seemed keen on the idea of continuing to hold her bite on me. Seeing that my "condition" wasn't going to change anytime soon, I let out a sigh and sat down, helping Inuba scoot over as Elisia made room for us in the booth.

I then heard my partner let out a muffled grow, her bite having gotten more forceful as her teeth went deeper into my arm.

"Ouch! Alright!" I said as I felt my eyes return to their normal bright sky blue, "I get it already. But if you're gonna keep doing that, can you at least take it easy?"

Her ears perked up suddenly as she let out a muffled gasp, her gaze growing more apologetic rather than pouty as she let out a muffled "Sorry…"

Her iron-like bite relaxed, the pain vanishing almost immediately. Even then, she still didn't let go, and instead decided to playfully nibble on my forearm, as if she were trying to make up for biting me too hard, her fox tail whipping about as she did so.

"I mean…biting can be pretty kinky. We've tried it. But, I don't see the appeal." Anoel commented, resting her head against her friend's shoulder now as she looked at the three us from across the table.

Huh… So she's into other girls? I figured she had a thing for Linkin Park over there in the corner, but my guess is that Niro isn't the kind of person who likes relationships.

For him, he'd likely avoid them like the plague.

"You finally remembered I was sat here? How considerate." the woman unknown to me murmured as she took a sip from her drink.

Anoel looked a bit troubled for once, and brought her lips close to Lylac's ear, making an almost inaudible response, "I can make up for it, if you'll let me."

"Depends on how busy you are..." the blonde girl responded in an even volume.

"I'll find a workaround in my schedule. Just for you." Anoel returned, "I can make it an all-day thing."

A small smile crossed the woman's lips, "Do you promise?"

Anoel hummed in affirmation as she lightly nipped the edge of her "friends" ear, "Promise."

We all focused on Elisia, who suddenly cleared her throat to ask, "So… What brings you here handsome?" she said, looking my way.

Truth be told, I was chasing some pudgy assclown that robbed a Dust store nearby, who ironically enough had a Semblance that let him jump really high and really far, making it very hard to catch.

Having had enough of his shit, after fifteen minutes of chasing him around town, I finally got him and strung him up for the cops.

But they don't need to know that.

"I needed a drink, so I drove down here for one. Then I felt all of you clustered up in here, felt this one's Aura Signature spike a little…" I said nodding towards Inuba, "Then I saw you trying to kiss her. So… Can I assume this was your harebrained scheme to bring her here?" I said looking to the somewhat petite Elisia next to me.

"Caught me red-handed officer. Wanna cuff me just for safety?" the rabbit faunus asked me with a wink, her arms extending toward me with a rather sly smile.

"Not in the slightest. Why'd you come here with her?"

"Girls night out. Hence why it's us girls here only until you showed up."

"We're actually innocent in this mess." Anoel affirmed quickly, "She joined us."

"Right…" I said glancing over them all, finally calm enough to ask, "Who are you again?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" the blonde girl responded evenly.

"I always love to know." Anoel slipped in.

"Of course you do." the woman retorted, "But you know more than just my name…"

"True… I know your favorite position…" Anoel said with a smile.

"Okay." I said quickly interrupting, not wanting to hear the details, "I asked for a name, not how you get kinky with each other. Do us the honors? Please?"

"Very well, since you're the only one that's actually taken the time to ask that question, my name is Lylac." she said introducing herself.

Anoel leaned her head back against Lylac's shoulder as she hugged her arm with her own, "I like to call her Ly."

"Can I call her that?" I asked.

"No. She's mine." Anoel's hold only grew more protective at that.

"Keep her. You said that as if I actually wanted her or something."

I just wanted a shorter name reference, not her phone number or anything.

Seriously, wrong impression Anoel.

"I'm just being careful. It's hard not to want her." Anoel responded earnestly, getting a blush out of the girl wrapped in her arms.

Really now? The can you explain why I have no interest in her at all?

"In your case maybe. Either way, I'm not interested." I bluntly replied.

We all heard a happy giggle from my partner, as if she were happy to hear that. She finally released her hold on my forearm, plopping her head into my lap and nuzzling her head to make herself comfortable, her eyes closing at last to sleep. Her fox tail flicked happily about in slow motions against the booth as she giggled silently.

"I swear… Sometimes I don't know which one of us is the actual devil…" I muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ly asked with a slightly defensive tone.

"Figure of speech in a sense. That, and it was part of a nickname I used to have."

That was a half truth at best.

"Nicknames aren't the same as titles, Dante." Anoel corrected.

…

I really need to find a way soon to keep her out of my head.

"Yeah, well, it's not one I like too much. Or wanted for that matter. It's easy to make people afraid of you. It's a lot harder to make them smile when you're present. Personally, I'd prefer people smiling rather than running."

"Were you demonized or something? I don't know you, but I feel like that was the case." Ly spoke curiously.

You're sort of on the money with that hypothesis Ly, but you're more than likely guessing the wrong group of people.

"Well… Sort of if I think about it. Don't really know what people were afraid of most though. The person, or the power. Or maybe even both. Who knows?"

"There's a lot of things people are afraid of…" Anoel sighed quietly.

"Sorry, but I think people would be more likely to run from a Devil rather than a flaming bird."

I think she's still under the impression I haven't figured her or her sister out. I only had one question really.

Why go to such great lengths to hide it?

Anoel couldn't help but breathe out softly and turn away, "I wasn't talking about me."

"Huntsmen are living proof that there's always someone stupid enough to take that devil on…" Ly stated.

On that we can agree on. To a degree at least.

Ly sighed before lightly grasping at her glass, swirling the glowing amber liquid around before slowly bringing it to her lips to take a sip. But before the rim of the glass could touch her mouth she froze, her eyes suddenly widening as she dropped the glass.

"No…"

Fragments of glass scattered across the wooden floorboards underneath the table, its contents spilling in between the cracks as her fingers shook.

Was she having a seizure or something? No…

Looking more closely at her, I knew full well what it was now. How could I forget it?

It was fear.

Lylac was genuinely terrified by whatever it was she saw, prompting Elisia, myself and Anoel to turn our gazes to the table she was staring at.

A woman silently gazed back at us, sitting alone at the back of her own booth. The burning light of a cigarette illuminated her face briefly for just a passing second, traces of a small smile curling across the woman's face.

Whoever she was, I knew this woman was bad news. I could feel it from her. And unfortunately for me, considering Lylac is Anoel's "friend", that means I'm gonna have to be prepared to make a stand if it gets to that point.

Just when I thought I was going to relax for tonight...

* * *

 **Well well, looks like Ray and Inuba had a scene together at the start. Are they becoming friends? Don't know.**

 **And hey! We even learned about a sort of special ability today called Affinities! FYI, Affinities were created entirely by Xera Stark, so give him props for it.**

 **It looks like we also met a new character today from HydraFlow's cast. This is,** **after all** **, a sort of** **continuous** **collaborative** **project between Xera Stark, HydraFlow and myself. So we're definitely going to be seeing their characters here and there.**

 **But who be that woman at the end that has Lylac so scared? Find out more next time folks.**

 **That's it for now. So with that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Of Devil Women and Studious Devils**

«»

The woman, whoever she was, pushed herself to her feet, stubbing out the cigarette she was dragging on before picking up her drink. Each step she took towards the booth, I could see Lylac tremble, almost enough for me to feel it through the seat.

"Six years…" spoke a cold, unfeeling voice, hardly even muffled by the chatter of the bar, "Impressive."

She passed by another table, plucking one of the chairs from underneath someone as she walked towards us, her footsteps seemingly overtaking all other sources of noise in the bar.

I glanced at Lylac from the corner of my eye once more, and it was clear as day how very terrified she was of this person.

It was as if the Devil himself walked in the bar to claim her.

"Bet you thought you'd seen the last of me, didn't you?"

No movement from Lylac. But her body position and facial expressions said it all.

She wanted to run. But if she did, she might be chased down, like prey to a much bigger and vicious and animal.

When the woman reached our booth, she laid the chair backwards, sitting on it with her legs at the sides of the backrest and rested her forearms against it, her pale, gray eyes never leaving Lylac's direction.

"I think it's about time we…caught up."

Who is she..?

"Sorry hun," Anoel spoke first, and tugged Ly toward her away from the woman as she swapped seats with her, "But who might you be?"

The woman didn't seem to care much about what Anoel just asked. She didn't even want to give her the time of day really.

"A lot of people have asked that question, few know the answer." the woman replied, temporarily switching her gaze, "The one you seem to be fond of right there is one of that very small handful."

The glass she held in her left hand touched her lips briefly as she finished her drink, letting it slowly rest on the table before interlocking her fingers.

"After all, she was partially responsible for bringing that number down."

"Seems like you take great care in making sure only a select few know your name. There a reason why?" Anoel asked.

"Those that do find out often find themselves flayed alive. No witnesses, no security footage, not even a note." the woman replied, "There is a reason, and I'm sure you're just dying to find out… But I have no business with the head of Vale's info network."

How about that… Niro did mention to me once Anoel was in the business of information. Being the head honcho though?

Not surprising given her personality, but still, color me impressed.

Anoel hummed proudly in response to the half handed compliment, "So, you know of me. I'm afraid to say that I don't know you though… Would I get flayed alive too if I happened to make a few guesses about you?"

"Quinn..!" Ly breathed, almost inaudibly.

…

What did this Quinn person do to Lylac to make her so terrified of her?

A smirk crossed the lips of the woman now know to us as Quinn, her gaze returning to the Lylac, "I see your memory hasn't decayed after all this time. Well done. Though, you still have that annoying tendency to spoil the fun… Such a shame."

I glanced at Anoel briefly, who looked to Lylac and tried to signal her of a chance to leave. A smart move given the situation at hand.

But she still wouldn't move.

Hell, she wouldn't reach for that peashooter she hid. And it wasn't out of reluctance of not wanting to kill Quinn...but it was an emotion I knew all too well from seeing it within the eyes of many people over the years.

Pure, unbridled, genuine fear. Fear so powerful it crippled any thought of movement.

This was starting to be a little too much...

I audibly put a hand on the table, drawing everyone's gaze to me "You're starting to spoil our night. So do you mind?" I spoke calmly.

Quinn turned to face me, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. But that look of disinterest…

I chuckled to myself mentally, thinking about if I had five to ten minutes with her, she'd definitely wouldn't be looking at me with disinterest.

She'd very much have the same look Lylac does right now.

"Oh, and I suppose you expect me to apologize, do you?"

"It might count if you get down on both knees and say sorry a few dozen times."

Anoel gave a light hum as she glanced to me, "A man who's quick to ask women to get on their knees. Normally I'd apologize for that, but…I do need you to leave if you don't have any business with us."

…

Why do people go straight for taking my words out of context?!

…

Do people not like me that much..?

"I only said I had no business with you, info-broker. I didn't say I had no business with her…" Quinn's eyes flicked back toward Lylac, who subtly flinched, "You've done a good job of evading the information networks for quite some time. It doesn't come as a surprise given what I taught you. But to hide from me? That's certainly worth some credit."

"Some people just want to relax, hun. Nothing wrong with that." Anoel replied, nodding her head toward the door, "But I'm the only one conducting any business today. If you want Ly, you'll have to come by another time."

Please take her advice. I'd really like it if I didn't wreck even the tiniest fragment of Nosferatu's bar and have to pay him back.

Quinn nodded, her black officer's cap staying firmly on her head, "You're right. Some people do need to relax. However, there comes a time where we need to get back to work. Unfortunately, dear Lylac, you exhausted your usefulness a long time ago. Your bastard cousin however… He and I still have to bury a few hatchets… Wouldn't you agree?"

Ly's eyes widened as she shook her head, "N-No! Please!"

Cousin..? Who would that be?

Not only that, but the way Quinn said that just now… I might've pieced a bit of this together.

Lylac's intense fear, Quinn's statement just now… She must've held Lylac and her cousin captive for a set period of time, using them for a specific task. But for what exactly?

"I'm gonna stop you there." I started as I raised up my hand, "Cousins and hatchets… Sounds like a good Sunday morning soap opera. Unfortunately, I'm not one for late night soaps. So you know, there's the door." I said gesturing my hand towards it.

"Your comic relief is annoying. Clearly, you don't understand the situation." Quinn deadpanned, eyes firmly locked on Ly's, "But since you're all so eager for me to leave, I'll just say this; No matter how deep of a hole you throw him into, Lylac, no matter how dark and hostile it is, I will find Ray, and when I do, I'll remind him exactly who I am."

Ray…

Ray is Lylac's cousin?

Well, all the more reason I guess for her to leave now.

"Oh, now I see!" I said in mock realization as I bopped the bottom of my fist against my palm, "This is about Ray. See, now I have to take you a bit more seriously."

Which I was going to do despite my mannerisms currently.

"Hey, it's alright, right?" I asked turning to Niro, "So long as there's no mess?"

I had to ask if fighting was allowed, but this wouldn't be much of a fight.

"If she breaks you first, I'm fine with there being a mess."

Tch… Always with the me-specific quips...

"Got it boss..."

I snapped my fingers, and within an instant, eight longswords of white and black Aura phased into existence, each of them surrounding Quinn from different angles with the points direction towards her various vital points.

"Say the word boss-lady, and she's gone. You know, either sense of the word 'gone'." I said nodding to Anoel.

"Those aren't exactly a threat to her…"

I furrowed my brow slightly, "How come?"

"Congratulations, you just wasted Aura creating toys." Quinn stated as she stood from her chair, her eyes glancing to the sword closest to her as her fingers wrapped around the razor-sharp blade, "You also need to work on your craftsmanship."

With a light squeeze, the blade she grabbed shattered, disintegrating as she approached the door with burning amber eyes.

"I'll see you around."

The door slowly closed behind her as she left, leaving nothing in her wake but an empty glass, a misplaced chair, and a burnt out cigarette.

…

I'll admit, I'm a bit irked currently. Not about how she easily broke my Aura sword, but the fact I didn't know how she did it. But I had my guesses.

"Nullification or absorption, huh? Interesting…" I said as I snapped my fingers again, making the rest of my swords vanish out of the air.

"You have no idea…" Anoel muttered in a whisper, watching the woman go.

"So, who was the walking, talking shark?" asked Elisia as one of her rabbit ears flicked downwards, toward the empty chair by their booth.

Elisia and I looked to Lylac watching her hold her head in her hands, staring blankly at the floor as she murmured to herself.

Distress wasn't close to what I was seeing her suffer…

It's honestly a bit hard for me to comprehend how people can feel such intense fear. I can only really ever look on and ponder others' misfortune.

"Excuse us." Anoel said simply to us, sliding herself out of the booth while tugging Ly with her, "We'll only be a minute. Can you walk?"

Slowly, Ly began to nod as she found her feet, her entire body looking like it was numbed. Despite this, Anoel slowly pulled the the girl to her feet and kept her arm wrapped around Lylac's waist for support.

"Feel free to order a round of drinks while you wait." Anoel commented quietly to Dante and Elisia, her eyes roaming over Inuba as she passed us with Ly at her side.

* * *

"That was one way to end the night…" I commented staring at the doorway.

I was hoping that devil woman wasn't coming back anytime soon.

Though, I was surprised Inuba didn't wake up throughout that. Perhaps it was good luck.

Either way, I was grateful she didn't wake up, and scratched behind her fox ears to hear her giggle softly as her tail whipped about.

I don't think she'd normally allow me to do this.

"Now that I think about it, I've heard stories of a woman with an officer's cap that just shrugs off any attack that hits her. Like she's immortal or something."

I scoffed at that comment.

"She isn't immortal. She just has high defensive capabilities that make it hard to land an actual hit on her." I said summoning my real longsword briefly, glancing over it's pristine white body with black, decorative patterns around the handle and guard, "But that'll change once I run this across her."

"Oho~ That's pretty scary of you mr. Dante. And serious." Elisia remarked.

"I can be serious. I just choose not to be most of the time. More fun for me that way."

It has lead me down some...interesting paths.

Glancing over to my TA, I saw her down another pint of alcohol in just a few seconds flat, only to have it filled again in a mere second by Niro's mystic voodoo speed refill abilities.

Still though, for someone smaller than me, and leaning on the petite side a bit, she can handle her alcohol pretty well. Which is more than I can say for my fluffy tailed partner resting comfortably in my lap.

Letting out a sigh, Elisia glanced at me, eyes narrowed in an almost seductive gaze, "I have to come here after work more often... How about it handsome? Want to come with?"

"Isn't that pretty irresponsible to go drinking every night?"

At least, that's what I think.

"Hey, so long as I get my work done beforehand, what's it matter?"

She's not wrong. If anything, that's sort of how I go about my policy of free time. Do your work first, goof off as much as you want later.

Though in Elisia's case, that's probably drinking herself stupid. But I wouldn't know that unless she told me so herself.

"I guess…"

"Say!" She said audibly slamming her pint glass down on the table, "What's the deal with you? Most guys your age are looking for a girlfriend or looking to be a hotshot Huntsmen, or something. Yet you're all chilled out. Why?"

"I'm not looking to prove myself or get famous or anything. I don't care about those sort of things really. As for 'girlfriends', that's something that can be done later."

"No no no handsome. Start too late and you'll be by your lonesome for what'll be an eternity."

…

I don't know how to respond to that...

"It shouldn't be a problem. As far as I can tell, you've got an awesome personality, you're funny on occasion, and hey, a damn good looker. That alone will get you drowning in the ladies."

"Looks aren't everything."

"They aren't, but they're still a big deal! I'll bet you anything there's been droves of girls that have been flirting with you just about everywhere you've been."

As much as I hate to admit it…

"You can snag just about anyone." Elisia said starting on her new pint.

I looked in Niro's direction and was about to ask for refills, but before I could, I looked back down and saw new glasses filled with drinks on the table.

I didn't even have to ask which one I wanted, it was already sitting there right in front of me.

Niro's got some seriously weird abilities…

"No I can't." I said taking a sip from my glass.

"I'm telling you right now, that's exactly the case!" Elisia emphasized after I just finished taking a sip from my drink.

She may have been right, but I still didn't like the idea of what she was implying.

"No it's not!" I said setting down my glass before turning to Niro, "Dude, back me up here."

"It's mostly his looks, but it helps that he smells like a fish dipped in pheromones." Niro replied casually, cleaning a stray glass.

Of course that was the kind of answer I was going to get.

Why did I even bother asking him?

"See? Even he agrees!" Elisia exclaimed.

"Right, like he's a reliable and totally unbiased judge."

Niro's more likely to set up diabolical schemes against me and various plots of murdering me. Hence why I think any opinion about me, from him, is biased.

"Alright, how about this hot stuff?" Elisia started as she leaned in closer to me, "Next time we go out somewhere, we're going to find a bar that does one of those speed dating events. And I bet you right now you're going to get over twenty phone numbers. Or more. But more than anything I bet you they'll be staring at you all like 'Oooo! He's so dreamy!' the entire time."

"You're just saying that..." I replied, taking a much needed large sip of my drink.

"Am I?" Elisia questioned with a wide grin.

"Unfortunately..." Niro interjected, setting a third glass onto the shelf behind him, "I catch even guys gawking at him all the time too. So, she's right."

…

…

…

I think I want to go home now...

By the time I set down my glass, the bathroom door at the back of the room opened and Anoel came out first, Ly trailing just behind her.

Anoel eventually reached the table again, stepping aside to let Ly in first as she glanced to us, "Been talking about panty-dropping good looks while I was gone?"

"You know me so well." I cheekily replied, "Asking if she's alright is…well…pointless. But still, what was all that?"

A question I need an answer to. Because if I'm hanging out with Ray by some chance and that devil woman Quinn just shows up out of nowhere, I'd rather know who exactly I'm fighting.

"We all have our demons, honey… There's no need to ask about them. But…there is something you can do, if you're willing." Anoel said glancing at me seriously.

"Always willing and able." I returned, taking another large sip and placing my now empty glass down on the table, "What would you have me do?"

"Whatever Ly asks of us…" Anoel spoke quietly, her tone turning serious for once, "As much as I hate to admit it, we can't handle Quinn on our own. So I'm asking for the both of us here on whether or not you're willing to help. Even if it puts you and the people you care about in harm's way."

I didn't need to be so concerned about my siblings or Inuba. They're all pretty powerful on their own.

"My people can take care of themselves."

A small whine emerged from Inuba, currently attempting to shake off a powerful headache in her sleep.

"For the most part."

"Then I suppose that's a yes…" Anoel drifted her gaze back to Ly, "Did you order us drinks?"

"Yup." I said sliding a few glasses over, "Figured you'd need it after that."

"More than you know." Anoel replied, taking the glasses and giving Lylac one of them, "Niro's probably going to keep yours topped off for the next month, so just take it easy if you can."

Ly simply took hers with numb fingers, a blank unresponsiveness still in her eyes.

Anoel sighed and took a slow sip of her own glass, half the Lyra in her glass downed most likely out of stress alone before she set it back onto the table.

"I think this goes without saying..." Anoel muttered out, her eyes still a little rattled despite her usual casual demeanor, "but don't take this woman lightly. None of us can risk doing that right now."

If she crushed one of my Aura Swords easily, there's no way I wasn't going to take her so seriously.

"Wouldn't dream of it. After that little 'magic trick' of hers, I've been racking my brain for what to do about her."

"Always the thinker this one." Elisia declared as she rolled her eyes.

"Right, because I'm all for headbutting each other until she dies. Good plan." I shot back.

"We'll need some sort of plan eventually…but…" Anoel's eyes leveled on Ly again, watching a brief moment of her downing another large portion of her refilling glass, "We can't formulate it yet. Not until the shock of what happened goes away…"

Too late for that. I was already forming a few plans of action against her.

"I already know that you've met Ray before, and I know how stubborn he seems." Anoel said grabbing my attention as we locked eyes. "But he can't know about Quinn. None of you can tell him about her."

Ray doesn't know she's still alive? The idea of not telling him was probably coming from his hotheaded nature. If he and Lylac suffered at Quinn's hands…

Tinman is definitely the vindictive type if you piss him off enough.

"Lips about this matter are permanently sealed. But…there is one thing I need to know before we can even get started."

Anoel took another sip of her drink as she grazed the rim of her glass against her bottom lip, "Name it."

If I'm going to be serious about helping them with her, I needed to know what we were going for here, that way I could plan more accordingly.

"What's the end goal we're going for here? Capture? Or erasure?" I asked without hesitation in my tone.

Killing a person like her wouldn't be easy. Neither would be capturing her. But flat out killing Quinn would be more of a struggle that I need to put more thought into. Hence why I needed to know now what the end game plan was.

"We…have to find a permanent solution, whatever it is. I don't want her coming back into Lylac's life. Not again." the info-broker spoke softly.

"Kill her…" Lylac murmured after setting her glass down to refill.

"It might be pointless to ask, but are you sur-?"

Glowing blue eyes shot up to meet my own bright sky blue, "Delete her from existence."

…

Well, that's probably the most direct request to kill someone I've gotten in a long while.

"Then it's settled." I said.

As soon as I have a chance to develop a counter technique to her defense, she's as good as gone.

"Settled…" Anoel glanced over, "We'll do whatever it takes."

"Talk about killing people, huh? Sounds like fun." Elisia said.

…

See, it's comments like those that make me think that secretly Elisia is some sort of sadist.

"You really are a sadist, aren't you?" I asked.

"Only Monday through Friday." she spoke with a wink.

I could only roll my eyes at her joke confirmation. Though in reality, she may have just flat out admitted to me. Then again, she could just be messing with me as per her usual.

"What about you? Are you going to keep quiet about this?" I asked our TA.

"And if I don't? Are you going to kidnap me and tie me up somewhere?"

"Not in this lifetime. Or any." I replied.

"An hour ago I would've taken you up on an offer like that," Anoel interjected, eyeing Elisia across the table before finishing off her drink.

"Don't encourage her." I pleaded.

"Honey, I love encouraging people." Anoel replied, setting down her empty glass before turning her gaze back to Ly, "We can leave whenever you're ready."

"I'm ready to leave now..." Ly replied in a low tone.

"Then we're leaving." Anoel replied, glancing to myself and Elisia across the table with a small nod, "We'll see you when we need you."

"You know where I am. And in case you can't reach me…" my fingers pulled up a small holographic square, that when I tapped it, expanded into a large display with a generated code, "Call at any hour of the day."

Anoel withdrew her own black scroll to scan the code, storing my contact info as her other free hand lightly pulled Lylac from the booth, "I'll keep that in mind."

Her eyes once again switched back to Ly's, keeping careful watch of her movements as she slid out of the booth.

"Think you can stay conscious for long enough to walk back?" Anoel asked, Ly nodding lightly in response to that, "Okay… we'll see the rest of you later, then."

"Stay safe." I said to them, watching as they left the Black Stallion for the night.

A few seconds of silence, I soon heard Elisia whistle briefly.

"Boy… That was a hefty request. One you were quick to agree to."

"Force of habit from my previous line of work."

"What was your previous job? Were you a master ass-assin?"

Something along those lines, but that was years ago before I was an actual hero.

…

Wait… I just realized where she put the emphasis on assassin.

"N-No." I quickly replied clearing my throat, "I slayed monsters like her for a living. Hence why I have the knowledge that I do on the paranormal and supernatural."

"Hmmm… You and professor Gladian could get along nicely. He's been studying anything and everything supernatural and paranormal for the last decade." Elisa stated.

"Did he by chance figure out where the Grimm are coming from and the like?"

"No…" Elisia replied simply, "But he's working on a theory for that."

I suddenly find myself more impressed with our professor. I'll have to ask about that at later time.

"So, are you going to keep quiet about this?" I asked glancing over at her.

"And I'll ask again, what are you going to do to keep me quiet about it?"

"What do you want?"

"Well…" she began with a coy smile.

"And nothing weird or perverted."

"Awww, boo. You're no fun."

Again, you seriously need to have "fun" redefined for you.

"How about this handsome? I keep quiet about this whole business, and you let me hang out with you whenever I like. Deal?"

"That's it?"

I was almost surprised.

"Why do sound so surprised? You you're pretty interesting despite how much you keep to yourself."

"Why am I so interesting?"

"Mmmm… Call it a feeling."

"You're basing all that off of a feeling?"

"What, like you haven't done anything based off of a hunch or feeling?"

…

Well…

"Is that it?" I asked a final time to confirm.

"Yup. Just that."

It's...hard to believe that's all she wants.

Elisia is...difficult to read, much less understand. I don't know if it's her natural demeanor or that constantly calm, cool smile of hers, that confuses me but…

Damn… I just realized I forgot to ask for ice.

I sighed as I glanced at the glass my drink was in, then saw something interesting.

A small, spherical chunk of ice formed slowly within the liquid, not only that, but the chill I felt in my hand told me the drink itself had cooled.

I turned my head to the side and saw my rabbit eared TA giggle at me with narrowed eyes, waving her index finger about.

"Thanks." I said finishing off the last bits of my drink before setting the glass down, "I have to get this one back." I stated patting Inuba's head, "And make sure my brother and sister aren't trying to kill each other. Or burned down the room."

"They fight a lot?" Elisia asked.

"No, but they're really competitive."

"How does-?"

"They're super competitive when it comes to one another and never refuse each other's dares."

"I guess I can see that."

I stood up and carried Inuba in my arms, making for the the door as Elisia followed me from behind. I would have said goodnight to Nosferatu, who was still over at the bar shining glasses like they were precious treasure, but I knew I wouldn't get a response.

So I didn't bother.

* * *

 **(Ciel POV)**

Hrmmm… Leo is like one of those people who hates being wrong.

Or maybe it's because I'm actually right? I mean, come on, I get a lot of things right sometimes. Maybe not always, but hey, no one's perfect.

"Your answer doesn't even answer the question!" Leo stated.

Ugh… He's really annoying when he gets like this.

"Uh, yeah it does. If you looked at the question a lot better you'd see I'm right." I replied with my arms crossed.

"It may seem difficult to admit, but her answer, as simple as it is, does answer both parts of the question, Simply Leonard."

Oh yeah, did I mention we got LMKN to join our little study session? I went to go get a snack real quick and found Bailey Lianna in our room with Leo.

FYI, I think Leo has the hots for her.

Anyway, I said, "Why don't we bring over the others from your team?", and so we got Musashi, Nori, and Kaliel to join us.

We kinda made the study session a team competition. Bailey and Leo, me and Musashi, Nori And Kaliel.

Who would win?!

Well, sort of us right now. I guess.

Musashi and I are tied with Bailey and Leo, while Nori and Kaliel were just a ways behind us.

They weren't too far behind, but~ they can be doing better

Between us, Kaliel's picking up most of the slack for Nori.

Anyway, looking to Leo, I could see how devastated he was when Bailey was showing him he was actually wrong.

Not gonna lie, Leo was sort of on point, but just a bit off. Seriously though, relax dude. It's not the end of the world if I'm right.

...

Maybe.

"But… How..?"

"You may have missed this detail here in haste. Look." Bailey said leaning in close to Leo, trying to point out what he missed on his HoloScroll.

Though, I'm pretty sure his eyes were wandering elsewhere.

Yeah, he's totally got a thing for her. I'm gonna pick on him later a bit.

"Ugh… We've been studying and doing homework for hours… Being a Huntsmen education wise is really demanding…" Nori said leaning backwards to let out a quick sigh.

"F-Fighting isn't the only thing Huntsmen and Huntresses need to know, Nori…" Kaliel spoke with her usual meek tone.

"I get that, but it's just a little annoying sometimes."

"I half agree with both of you." Musashi spoke up suddenly, "While it is important to understand how to fight, it is also necessary to sharpen ones mind. Virtually anything can be useful to you on the field."

"Well said ms. Ryūjinhonō." Leo said closing up his scroll, "Well everyone, I believe we've succeeded in complete our assignments for next week. Excellent work."

"Is this how you guys always do work for school?" Nori asked us.

"Yup." I answered crossing a leg over the other, "We kinda started after our big brother got us into it. His motto kinda became our motto."

I cleared my voice, prepping myself to for what I was going to say next as I scrunched up my face to look a bit manlier.

"Do all of your required work first, goof off as much as you desire afterwards." I said in a deeper voice.

"I think brother might be proud of that impression." Leo stated.

"Speaking of, where is he? Does he go out often?" Nori asked us.

"Yeah… What happened to big brother Leo?"

"Haven't the foggiest. He said he was going to go somewhere in town and would be back shortly."

That was about 8 hours ago. Maybe he got caught up in something?

All of us heard the mechanical lock click, and we saw exactly who were talking about step into the room. And hey, looks like he's carrying Foxy!

...

Why's he carrying her?

When he turned around, he stopped dead in his tracks, eyeing each of us quickly, "Um...hi?"

Everyone gave their individual "hi's" and "hello's", but no one seemed to question why he was carrying his passed out partner.

So I did it.

"Foxy have a good night?" I said quirking my eyebrows at him.

"Uh...you could say that. I guess."

He so didn't get the message…

All of us watched Foxy's fox tail suddenly whip about into high gear and wrap around my big brother's face entirely, pulling his head backwards as he did his best to resist the pull.

I guess he wasn't kidding when he says she's physically stronger…

From the parts of the tail that wrapped around his mouth, my brother moved them downwards so that he can speak.

"You kids have fun tonight?" He calmly asked despite the strong tugging of the tail.

"If you call reading tons of articles and doing bunches of assignments fun…" Nori said.

"Aw, it's not all that bad. Do all your required work first, goof off as much you desire afterwards."

None of us could resist laughing a bit after he said that. I mean, how could we not? He said exactly what I did a minute or so ago word for word. Minus the very deep tone.

"What?"

"Nothing." I said smiling, "So what's up with you big brother?"

"Me? Oh, well, I've got some more work to do, so I just came to drop her off. You don't mind taking this to your guy's room, right? So she can sleep?" My brother asked Nori as he placed Foxy in her bed and tucked her in.

"Yeah dude, we don't mind. Right?"

"Of course." Bailey answered.

Huh… Now that I look at her, I can kinda see why Leo's got the hots for this Bailey girl despite her weirdness with the blindfold.

She's got a really sexy pair of legs.

Nice pick Leo.

"Right. Thanks guys. Have fun."

And just like that, he was gone as soon as came. Ugh… It's disgusting how much free time big brother has…

Then again, he lives by that motto of his pretty religiously.

No joke, if it's Monday, and he sees a month's worth of assignments, he's gonna get it all done Monday by noon. Sometimes by the evening. It depends.

"I-It must be nice to have your older brother's amount of free time..." Kaliel spoke up.

"Indeed… His work ethic is frightening as it is outstanding…" Leo said.

Well, if we're going to move to LMKN's room just to chill out, we've got to find a means to have fun.

And I know just the game.

"So… If we're gonna continue having fun tonight, we need a game for that to happen right?" I asked everyone with a devious smile.

I could see Leo from the corner of my eye starting to panic a bit as I reached into the black box chest under the bed behind me, digging through its contents to try and find the greatest tool of fun and mass destruction ever known to man.

"What sort of game is this?" Asked Musashi.

"One That has the highest of high stakes."

"Oh no…" my brother sighed shaking his head.

"Oh yes!" I screamed in a whisper, "Behold!"

From the chest, I pulled out a wide pack of cards, where on the center of the pack was an oval shaped wheel with four pie slices; one of them red, one of them blue, the other slice yellow, and the last one green.

Yes..! It was none other...THAN-!

"The wonderful, magical game that puts the abilities of magical girls to shame! The one, the only...UNO!"

With high stakes involved of course.

…

May or may not involve stripping.

* * *

 **Well well... It looks as though Dante has been tasked with killing the seemingly untouchable Quinn. How will this pan out?**

 **You'll see for yourselves soon enough.**

 **Sorry for the Monday upload, had to travel to Arizona for a cousin's wedding, and I got back Sunday night around 5pm and had some really hefty HW assignments to take care of.**

 **That's it for now. So with that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Of New Tricks and Strange Swords**

«»

 **(Dante POV)**

I really had no other option…

"So...was it a as good for you as it was for me?"

I sighed in response to my TA's remark, "Can you please be serious for now? This is important."

"Aw, come on handsome. I'm just messing with you a little bit."

Elisia turned her head from me and tilted it sideways a bit, glancing at our "work in progress".

"So, I'm guessing it still wasn't to your liking or whatever?"

"It's getting closer, but it's not entirely there. Can you set up another one?" I asked raising up my longsword slightly.

"Sure thing." She said.

A light tap of her foot against the training room floor, and another wide wall of ice rose from the ground amongst the shattered remains of the dozens of others from the last few minutes.

Her ice was durable enough, and able to be examined after the attack to see if I gained the result I wanted. Hence why I asked her for her help in the first place.

I would've asked Ciel since she has a better method of an examination process, but she was busy socializing.

So I made due with what I had.

"Alright… So this is like what, shot number 13? Let's hope this is the one."

I'm hoping that's the case too…

Grasping my longsword tightly and holding it off to my side, I fed my white and black Aura into my blade, causing it to flow from my sword like a violent torrent. The sheer, condensed power was enough to create strong currents of wind within our enclosed, private space, and was enough to darken the room so that only the white glow from my torrent was the only source of light present.

Why was I here currently? The answer is simple.

Devouring Light is one my most powerful and versatile techniques in my arsenal. I can change its effective properties, like explosive power, shape, speed, and so forth.

Right now, I was in the middle of creating a variation specifically focused on speed and shape, all so that the Devil woman can bite down on it and hopefully get shredded.

Putting her annihilation aside, I focused on the shape I wanted, and how I wanted it to function. The first few attempts were not necessarily failures, but they weren't exactly what I needed or wanted. Even so, each one gave me a much clearer shape each time.

Now? I'm pretty sure I had the right idea.

I raised up my sword, violent torrent of Aura still flowing freely in the air, and then swung downwards on the wall of ice, shouting "Devouring Light!" And unleashing forth a large wave of Aura that zoomed across the field almost immediately. Instead of completely destroying the wall of ice, my Aura Wave Shredded through it like paper in the blink of an eye.

Before the Aura Wave made contact with the back wall, I quickly killed it off and jogged forwards after dematerializing my sword, Elisia already checking the results I asked her to look for.

"Yeah… I think you got it this time. See the marks?" She pointed.

I looked over the area my Devouring Light passed through, and saw specifically what I was looking for.

Doing a quick replay of my memory, I saw that my technique had the speed I wanted, and...the right attribute I wanted to give it.

Excellent. I now have my Quinn-killer.

But that name stays secret with me. And Elisia, I guess.

"I see it alright… Now I've got a technique that'll bypass her Semblance."

"You sure she just won't make it disappear like last time?" My rabbit eared companion asked me.

"I'm sure. She only made my blade disappear in the first place because it wasn't nearly strong enough to do actual damage. It was just conjured up quickly and without much power behind it as more of a scare tactic, but since she has her damage nullification, she was able to touch and crush it without effort."

"So..?"

"So, her ability gives her some courage. I'm sure it has its limits, and she's aware of that limit. Tear apart the ability she has confidence in, her chances of success go down."

"Sheesh… Like breaking a kids crayons…"

"In a way…" I replied resting my hand on the split remains of Elisia's ice wall, "I don't think it's a sort of duration based ability. I'm going to have to roll with the assumption she can keep it up as long as she likes so long as she has Aura. So, I'm going to make it very hellish and make it hurt very much for her to keep it up, that way she'll be discouraged from using it due to her Aura being burnt through." I finished explaining as I snapped my fingers.

"And people say I can be mean…"

"Not exactly looking to be nice with this one." I reaffirmed.

"I...just don't really get it..."

"Get what?" I asked.

"You're...going a really lengthy distance for people who aren't your friends. And quite honestly, probably don't even like you all too much. If at all."

…

"So?"

"So why do you do it? Why go that extra mile for people who aren't really going to appreciate what you did for them? Why help them if they're still going to be...I don't know...disdainful towards you?"

"Being liked isn't at the top of my list of important things."

"Alright, but why help them? It's not like their opinion of you is gonna change."

"Their opinion of me isn't important either."

"I get it mr. Good Samaritan, but that's not answering the question entirely." Elisia asked me as she crossed her arms and looked at me with a serious gaze, "Why help them if they're still going to treat you like dirt? Cause let's be honest, tall, dark and emo is definitely not your biggest fan, and ms. Cowgirl gives me the impression she'd much rather kick you while you're down so she can make a quick get away rather than help you up."

…

"I may have known you for a short while, but you don't give me the impression of a naive idiot. It doesn't take much to know they pretty much hate your guts. So why bother with them in the first place?"

…

"I guess it's reflexive from my old job. It's like I said earlier, people's opinion of me doesn't matter to me in the slightest, it's why I'm able to get the job done without fail really. You don't have to like me and I don't have to like you to do what I'm tasked with. It's just that simple."

It's the only explanation I can offer that's reasonable. At least, in my own way it's reasonable.

"Man… You really are a special kind of weird."

"Special K weird?"

She looked at me briefly, as if confused, then broke out laughing, "Did… Did you just make a joke involving cereal?!"

"Um…yes?"

She laughed harder afterwards, much to my embarrassment.

This shouldn't a surprise to anyone, my jokes are absolutely terrible. And not in the sense they're offensive or anything. They're just straight bad.

"You really are weird. But...you're at least a good kind of weird." She said playfully poking me in the nose before walking off, "If you're satisfied with the fruits of your labor, then I need to be on my way. I've got some stuff to do for Professor Dravus."

"Right. Take care then." I said giving her a nod and a wave, where she did the same as she left the door of the private training room.

…

I...wasn't exactly prepared for those questions. Or statements really. Normally if someone was upset with me, or if it were another sort of situation, of course, I might have been prepared. But it was just so out of the blue…

What was the point of asking all those questions?

…

Is she actually getting to try to know me? I can't honestly tell with her what her motives are. It's actually fairly frustrating that I can't tell.

I unfortunately didn't have time to try and figure out her true motives.

There was...something else I had to figure out at the moment.

I raised up my longsword and held it in front of me, centering in the middle as I glanced at it's pristine white body.

Remembering a short while ago, I heard a voice in my head that day when the Wraith attacked Elisia and I. It...wasn't so much a voice, more of a high pitched whine but...I could understand it as if it were words.

It was a feeling I had but...I feel like there's more to this sword than Kareina let on when she gave it to me. Part of me wanted to go back to the manor and ask her more about this sword, but a part of me also knew I wouldn't get much of an answer. Especially if there was something to hide, which currently, I'm not also sure of.

Perhaps this blade fell into her lap by chance. Perhaps it didn't. All I knew is that I wasn't going to get a clear answer from Inuba's mother.

But the blade itself might give me the answer I need.

By the time Elisia had left the room, I set it to lock the door behind her so that it would only be me, and so that no one else would enter.

I didn't need anyone spreading rumors that I'm some crazy that talks to swords.

Truth be told, I wasn't sure this was going to work. From what I knew of swords with souls, they in a way have minds of their own, their own voice, etc. But the most distinctive trait overall was that you could feel "life" in the sword itself, as if it was a live entity contained within.

I didn't get that feeling from this sword. At least, not entirely. I...felt something… A connection of sorts. It was a feeling I couldn't shake, no matter how hard my mind was trying to push it away.

Maybe just as I was trying to connect with the sword, it was trying to connect with me?

I had to give it a try.

Shutting my eyes and letting out an exhale, I tuned out my senses to focus solely on trying to grab hold of that connection, and see if it would grab back.

Staying so quiet and still...it felt like eternity was passing me by. And yet...I was feeling nothing.

Nothing happened.

At least, that's what I thought until I opened my eyes.

* * *

I lowered my sword and examined my surroundings, finding myself enshrouded in a black space that seemingly spanned forever. My eyes slowly moved to the floor to notice ripples forming with each slight movement I made, as if I were standing on water.

There was no noise. No sense of hot or cold. No feeling. No life. It was complete and total emptiness save for myself. And the other figure once I turned around and spotted...them.

This figure had the form of my Shadow Skin, only it flowed with wisps of black form various sections of its body. And instead of having slanted eyeholes, the gaps for the eyes were perfectly circular and glowing white, staring directly at me.

Being here reminded me of the time in the workshop. I was in a place like this, and on the water's surface, my reflection showed exactly that form. And it reached out and grabbed me.

I was antsy to say the least. I had no idea what this was in the slightest. The only movement I made was to slowly breath before I took a small step forward, keeping my eyes on the shadowy figure.

There was no movement. It just stood there, perfectly still and unmoving, save for the black wisps that emanated from its body. Convinced I was safe to a degree, I took a few steps forward, each step slow as I approached the figure, sword lowered to my side without ever taking my eyes off of the figure.

And then I stopped right in front of it.

I just...stared back at it. But it was strange… Earlier I thought it was staring right at me, but I think I was wrong. When I moved around it from side to side, eventually entirely circling around the specter once, it's "eyes" never moved a single time. They remained fixed upon where I was previously.

Eventually, I worked up the courage to reach out, keeping my sword hand steady as my left grew closer, eventually touching the specter by placing a hand on its armored chest. It was what I expected really, hard surface metal given it was my Shadow Skin. But...it felt so cold. Almost lifeless. Is this how I am when I use Shadow Skin?

I never really questioned what my Shadow Skin really is outside of it being an all around, parameter boosting transformation. But Shadow Skin has always been something that was _mine_. No matter the weapon, no matter if I lost my power...it was something that always remained, no matter what. My ace in the hole against any opposing force.

…

Was there something more to it than I ever thought to imagine? Was what I was seeing my power? Or the sword taking a shape of its own?

At last, I tried to move my hand away, but it stopped short, barely leaving the segmented chestplate as the shadowy hand belonging to the specter had quickly reached out and grabbed my hand.

The strength it possessed was tremendous given the fact I couldn't free my hand. At least, not at first. A bit more pulling on my end and my hand was freed, allowing me to stumble backwards and turn my gaze back to the specter, quickly walking over to me with its hand extended.

I quickly readied myself in a stance, took a few steps forward, and swung down.

…

My strike didn't connect…

In fact...looking around, I was "back" in reality, realizing a few moments before my blade struck, I had returned.

Same room, same shards of ice, same markings from my Aura Wave attacks… This was the real life.

Okay… I kind of don't want to do that again.

Maybe.

It's honestly not much of a surprise to me. If I had some sort of slumbering entity within my sword that I've never been connected to, or at least, have lost a connection to, its only natural it would attack me.

But why did it grab me only when I tried to leave?

…

Maybe it wasn't going to attack me, and it was trying to communicate with me.

Hmmmm… I only have classes with Port, Oobleck and professor Goodwitch today, so I'll be done with the day by lunch. After that, I'll see if Inuba's not busy and ask her to help out.

We've got some extra curricular studying to do.

* * *

 **(Inuba POV)**

"Okay, so we've confirmed the existence of Dopplers on Remnant, or at least their equivalent, but I doubt the sword is a Doppler..." Master said skimming through a book in his lap.

Glancing briefly at him, I saw that his feet were kicked up on the table and his head resting in his free hand, eyes quickly scanning through the pages quickly.

"I've been searching through various books containing a very detailed list of ancient weaponry wielded by humans and Faunus in the past. Nothing seems to suggest any of these weapons were Spirit Weapons either." I reported closing the book in my hand with a sigh.

"And from the readings I've been doing, there's nothing that suggests entities or beings that are able to take the form of weapons… Great…" Master said with an equally disappointed sigh, "We wasted time while getting a history lesson on everything else except the thing we needed. It's like winning a ticket lottery but getting all of the smaller prizes rather than the grand prize."

"Come now Master," I started as I placed my book back on the large table in our corner of the library, "It wasn't a complete waste. At the very least, we know more than we did previously."

"Not really. We already already know what these things are…"

"Ah, but we had yet confirm their existence here as well, had we not?" I asked with a proud smile, as to clarify my point.

"I guess…"

I couldn't help but giggle at Master's reluctance to admit his blunder.

Despite his excellent marks in academics, he still isn't entirely fond of studying. In his own words, he says "It's too boring and not that entertaining".

I can sympathize to a degree. I don't particularly enjoy studying for examinations, but I do enjoy learning something new. For instance, cooking. When I was younger, I was terrible at cooking, and almost had no skill in it really. But I set myself to the task and eventually became better and better overtime, taking the time to learn a new recipe whenever I could.

Master was obviously my "test subject".

"I forgot to ask, but you alright and everything? No headaches or..?"

Hmmm? Headaches? Why would I..?

…

Oh no..! I just remembered! Last night I..! I was intoxicated! Did I do something embarrassing?! Did I do anything to him?!

"N-No! E-Everything is fine with me! Honest!"

"Ah, good. I would've felt bad for making you come here and help out if you were a bit...you know...headacheish."

"T-Thank you for the consideration, but I'm perfectly fine…"

I healed the headaches I was suffering through immediately when I woke up this morning, wondering why I even had them in the first place.

Now I remember why…

"I...didn't do anything strange...did I..?"

"Uh…"

He's hesitating! Why is he hesitating?!

"No… You were just really giggly…"

I did do something strange to him!

My hands immediately found their way to my face to hide the great shame welling up inside me.

"A-Are you actually okay? You don't have to force yourself to be here if you're not feeling well…"

"No! I'm really fine! Honest!" I said with my muffled voice, still hiding my face behind my hands.

After a few moments of silent whimpering, I peeked through my fingers and saw Master looking down into his lap with a rather...displeased look…

Was he upset? Did he think it his fault for some reason?

I was about to persuade him otherwise, but before I could, I noticed a familiar face enter our section.

"Professor Gladian?"

"Oh? Ms. Kitsukami, mr. Dante… For a Friday afternoon, the two of you seem hard at work. I'm beginning to understand why the both of you are model students." The professor stated as he walked up to our table.

"Eh, not so much studying for classes professor. Moreso reading up for personal benefit." Master replied.

"Oh?" He glanced over books and gave a rather amused hum, "If I didn't know any better, I would say the two of you are up to some mischief if you're 'studying' magic weapons from the ancient beginning years of humanity and the Faunus."

Master and I looked to each other, wondering if we should explain the situation to Professor Gladian. But given the shrug and subtle nod from him, I assumed it would be fine.

"My mother presented my partner with a sword before he came to Beacon. It...wasn't until recently we've come to understand there might be more to this sword than it just being a simple blade."

I saw Master's head tilt to side slightly as he waved his hand, "Uh, ms. Librarian-person-lady?"

Both Professor Gladian and I turned our heads around to see a woman in a white cloak with some black detailing that obscured her body and her entire face in pitch black darkness. From underneath, all we saw was the long sleeve of a white blouse, and the slender, pale hand that held the books as the hem of her hood folded in our direction.

"Can I bring out my weapon for a few moments so the profesor can examine it?"

"I'll allow it. But don't swing it around in here under any circumstance. Understand?"

"Um...yeah…"

"And since this is your first visit to the library mr. Dante, allow me to be clear. This library is like my own plane of existence. I see and hear all the occurs within in it. You'd best remember that in the event you wish to misbehave for any reason."

"Thank you for the reminder..?"

Without saying another word to Master, the woman quickly left us to resume whatever work she had to attend to.

"How does she even know who I am if I've never been here before? Oh wait… I almost forgot… Was everyone on the staff actually notified of myself and...you know…"

"It's only natural mr. Dante. While it has nothing to do with you and mr. Ezdeil's personalities and attitudes, the both of you do however possess great potential to level the school at any moment. Particularly if the both of you enter a situation of conflict, it would be in everyone's best interest that someone on staff intervenes. Though, that is more reserved for mr. Ezdeil rather than yourself given his...volatile nature."

"Agreeable…" I stated.

Mr. Ezdeil more or less is the type to "swing first and ask questions later". At the very least, Master is much calmer than that brute.

Usually.

"Now, you said something about a sword mr. Dante?"

"Oh, right."

Raising up his hand, Master brought forth his longsword, twirling the pointed end towards himself so that the professor could grab the handle. He took the blade in his hands, and looked it over at various angles, his eyes focusing only on the weapon as if he and the blade were the only thing to exist currently.

"Hmmm… I feel an incredible source of Aura inside this blade… Separate from your own mind you, but so very similar. It feels as though a sentience lingers deep within this sword… How did you come by this again?"

"Inuba's mother gave it to me before we came here to Beacon."

"Your mother must be a collector of rare treasures if she came by this ms. Kitsukami…"

Well...in a way, that is true. While mother has collected many rare treasures across Primordial, most of them are just objects rather than weapons. The task of collecting rare or legendary weaponry was something my father pursued before…

…

Before he left…

"While I have vast knowledge of many relics and artifacts across Remnant throughout my travels, this is quite a mystery on its own. Though, if I were to take a guess, I would assume this would have come into existence this recent century."

The professor handed back Master's weapon, "The designs, elegant as they are, vary from designs of other ancient weaponry I've come across, heard of, or studied. Regardless, there rests a great, sentient power within mr. Dante. Do be sure to take great care of this."

"I will." He replied dematerializing his weapon, "Though, would this weapon be a first? Sentient I mean."

"Hmmm… I don't believe so. You would have to forgive me for my lack of help currently. I would need to review some notations from my travels in the recent year to answer accordingly. But if I remember correctly, I do believe there have been sentient weapons such as yours that have existed throughout the millennia. Of course, given the gaps of knowledge between time periods, it is very difficult to find actual evidence. Remind me to continue this conversation another time when I've looked through my notes."

"Right. Thanks anyway professor."

"Thank you mr. Dante, and ms. Kitsukami. Have a good and safe weekend you two."

We waved goodbye to our professor as he grabbed a few books from the shelves behind us and walked off to check them out.

"Seems like he's an archaeologist of sorts…" Master said.

"So it seems…"

I've heard he has a rather impressive track record as a Huntsmen from other professors. Expeditions across almost all of Remnant, the finding of artifacts, relics and ruins, and his skill in combat is apparently frightening.

The ideal teacher in a way. It isn't a surprise the academy would hire a person of his caliber.

"Alright, so to review, by some miracle, I'm still not crazy. Secondly, we've confirmed I'm not crazy and there's actually something in the sword."

Giggling briefly at his joke, I answered "It would seem so. It's excellent that we were able to actually confirm what you felt wasn't fabricated and indeed real. But we're still at a loss as to what it could be."

"But given what Professor Gladian just told us, we can cross a lot more off our list now. And in that regard, I've narrowed it down to a spirit sword."

"I see… So then our goal now is to identity Remnant's equivalent unless they're the same." I offered.

"Bingo." He replied snapping his fingers.

Silence shortly came as I began to gather our books to put them back, but from the corner of my eye, I saw Master staring at me rather intently, forcing me to stop.

"Y-Yes Master..? I-Is something wrong?"

"Ah, no. I was just thinking… We've been here a while now, and not once have I asked if you've settled in nicely. So have you?"

"Oh, well, yes I have. I'm enjoying the classes, I like the faculty and the students, well, some of the the students to a degree. It has been all around enjoyable thus far."

"You sure? Nothing...troubling you or anything like that?"

"No..?"

This is...rather sudden…

"No one giving you a rough time or anything?"

"N-No, certainly not!"

Well...I have suffered a quip or two from Cardin, but he never has laid hands on my like he has done with others.

Even so...I'd rather he not know…

"Alright. Just making sure since...you know...we don't often get time to ourselves like this. One on one between me and you."

"Yes… It does seem that way… But it's only natural, yes? Afterall, we are working hard these days."

"Looks like it…"

Even now I realized I've done the same as well. If anything, I should be asking how he is everyday and seeing if everything is well.

"H-How are things with you, Master? Are there any difficulties at present?"

"Mmmm… Nothing I can think of really. I mean, homework's still annoying to deal with, but that's about it."

"Has that delinquent given you trouble?"

It was a fairly blunt question in regards to mr. Ezdeil, but I don't want him doing anything to Master.

"Eh… He's not all too bad you know? He's probably just down on his luck or something."

"Yes, but that doesn't privilege him with the right to exercise his frustrations on you!"

"Well...yeah, you're right…"

Some of the names I've heard him call Master… It just makes my blood boil thinking about it…

"He's no big deal. Just leave him be and treat him nicely. I guess."

You...guess?

"Still… I get this...feeling around him. A sense of familiarity, you know?"

"That's strange...considering we've never met him before coming here I mean."

"Yeah…"

"Perhaps the familiarity comes from recognizing his strength?"

I hate to admit it, but they are similar in regards to "taking matters seriously" and the like. That, and they both have overwhelming Aura Signatures. Though with mr. Ezdeil, it's quite strange.

When I first examined his Aura Signature, it was far below own. But I was too quick to write him off. When entering combat, I felt his Aura Signature spiking significantly, but not enough to surpass my own.

"Could be… Meh… We've got better things to do than just chat about that guy. Alright, let's call it here. I've got some other things to take care of."

"At this hour..?" I asked looking at one of the clocks in the room.

It was already five in the evening. What else could he be doing?

"Yeah. Secret project and all that. Which reminds me, I should go talk Arex real quick before I start..."

"Oh? What sort of project?"

"The secret kind."

I only shot him a glare for his "clever" response.

"Complex mechanical stuff. It's...difficult to understand, much less explain."

Ah, I see. It's one of those kinds of projects. Our previous friend Darwin had a mechanical body of sorts that Master constantly worked on and improved. Sometimes they worked in the living room with all sorts of tools strewn about.

I nearly tripped over said tools once...

"I understand. Would you like something to eat when you return?"

I always enjoyed cooking. Especially for him.

"Hmmm… Chicken and rice."

A sigh escaped my lips as I said, "Master, whenever I ask you what you would like, you always say rice and chicken. Don't you wish for me to make something else for once?"

"Ah… Sorry. I'm just trying to make less work for you is all."

…

H-His consideration is quite outstanding sometimes…

"I-It's alright." I stuttered out, "I am more than happy to take on a challenge."

"Well, in that case, whatever you feel like then. Anything you make will taste good either way."

…

Must...control...tail urges…

Controlling my fox tail when in a heightened state of emotion...is quite difficult!

"V-Very well! I'll be waiting for your return!"

"Right then… Good luck."

"G-Good luck to you as well, Master!" my voice squeaked out as he rose from the table.

Giving me a simple wave, he was off with the mass of books from our table in hand.

My eyes followed him until he rounded the corner and disappeared. I let out a heavy sigh as my head fell into the pile of books, shifting some of them away. One of the books almost fell off the table had I not moved only my hand to catch it. My head raised itself up and looked at the book briefly before I chucked it upwards, allowing it to land on top of the now smaller pile of books.

I dug my hand into the front fold of my kimono and pulled out the small metal fox charm, a charm that matched the ones I gave Master and his siblings. Though, I did etch different runic kanji into the back of each charm to offer different effects. Though, I added to mine and Master's, more as just...extra.

I'm still embarrassed about it to a degree…

Checking the clock yet again, my fox ears perked up in realization that I should leave for the store soon if I wish to prepare anything decent. I may have my own vast experience in cooking, but I still have much to learn.

Hmmm… I think perhaps after I buy a few ingredients from the store, I'll watch a bit of a show Master downloaded to our BlackBox, which allowed us to bring media from Primordial to Remnant. I think the show had "Shokugeki" in the title… I'll ask Ciel since she would know more.

* * *

 **Quoting a certain Red Saber...**

 **Umu, things are getting interesting aren't they? Dante preparing to take on the Devil Woman Quinn, discovering another mystery in the process... Things are beginning to shape up nicely. Of course, that mean's things will start getting...spicy too.**

 **I'm really tired, and have nothing terribly clever to say. Not that I ever do... Ahem. Anyway, I'm a bit tired and I have quite a lot on my plate this week, so for those of you that read Veil of the Aether, I apologize in advance if I don't get a chapter out next weekend. There's a lot of work to be done for school, not to mention a few other personal things. So with that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Near the end of the semester and all, nothing else to say besides that. Well, lot's of work to do.**

 **That's about it.**

* * *

 **Of Sizzling Foxes and Emergencies**

«»

 **(Inuba POV)**

I let out a quick sigh of relief as I set down the bag of groceries on one of the tables in the kitchen just a level down from our dorm rooms. Each Hall had a kitchen for use, but most people eat in the cafeteria. Usually, my team and I cook food here in the kitchen ourselves, but, given the somewhat lazy nature of the three others, they can't be bothered with cooking and usually head to the cafeteria somedays. Mostly for breakfast and lunch, dinner being the only time we ever do cook food.

Just to be certain I have everything first…

Large chicken wings, ginger, garlic, Parmesan cheese, ground pork, garlic chives, cabbage, and something I've found at least similar to shiitake mushrooms. All check.

As for the seasoning, something similar to shouyu, black pepper, and oyster sauce. Good, all check for seasoning.

Now in regards to the last bit of ingredients… Potato starch, chicken bone stock, Sake that I was surprisingly able to find, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, and ketchup.

Excellent. I have everything need to create our meal for the night. Master and the others may very well enjoy this if I do it right, which makes it all the more important that my methods are near-flawless, especially since I've never cooked this dish before.

I snapped my fingers as white flames formed in front of me, materializing my personal apron that Master bought as a gift for me with assistance from Ciel.

The black apron had the image of a white, chibi-ish nine tailed fox, with white letters above the image spelling out "The Only Cook Hotter than the Kitchen". I was… surprised at first to see Master had gotten me such a gift, but it became much clearer when Ciel winked at me afterwards.

I haven't used another apron since.

Putting it on and tying the thick bands around my waist, I was ready to begin cooking. Or at least, I would have if two others hadn't caught my attention.

"Oh, ms. Lianna, ms. Ryūjinhonō. How have your evenings gone so far?"

"Quite well ms. Kitsukami." Ms. Lianna answered, "We heard that you were about begin cooking, and so Musashi and I… wished to observe and possibly assist you, so we may learn as well."

"You… wish to learn how to cook?"

This is quite exciting news! I always enjoy teaching people how to cook! Well, I'm not really a teacher persay, but… I can try to impart some knowledge to them.

"We would appreciate your teachings, since rumors say you may very well be one of the best chefs to exist in our time."

"N-Nonsense! I simply… just cook to… to… um…"

I can't just tell them I enjoy cooking for the one I love..! That would be… too embarrassing!

I felt the warmth in my cheeks rise and shook my head, tapping said cheeks thrice before I cleared my throat.

"V-Very well then! Please, put on those aprons over there and join me. Tonight, we are cooking for my team."

Both had seemingly perked up hearing this bit of information, and were quick to grab for the aprons to put them on and join my side, staring at me intently.

"U-Um… There are nine portions in total, three for each person. Follow my lead exactly if you will. Note that I'll be using my flames to expedite the process, but I'll tell you the exact times it'll normally take."

"Understood. Please begin." Ms. Lianna asked.

The pans in front of us were already warm and ready, but there was still preparation to be had. They did as I did exactly, in fact, they mimicked me perfectly down to the very same position, and placed the wings into airtight boxes so they wouldn't be exposed to the air.

Odd, but they're taking it very seriously at least.

After placing the chicken in the airtight boxes, we placed the covers on them. We then mixed the stock into the boiling pots of water on the side to create the stock, allowing us to dice the chives of garlic, cabbage, mushrooms, ginger and garlic.

"You're cutting techniques aren't all that bad. But ms. Ryūjinhonō, try to make the pieces a bit smaller next time. And ms. Lianna, your cutting is breathtakingly precise, but the cut pieces are a bit thinner than what they're supposed to be. Just a tad bit larger."

"Understood!" They replied.

…

Both of them are very serious about this...

Next, we mixed the faux shouyu, black pepper and oyster sauce together, the three of us gently stirring it together. Ms. Ryūjinhonō took a glance at us and matched her rather rapid, non-circular motions in pace with our own after I nodded to her to follow our movements.

Afterwards, we moved back to our diced ingredients to mix them together with the coarsely minced pork, allowing us to proceed to open the airtight containers and remove all the bones from the chicken wings. When the removal of the bones was finished, the three of us took the stuffing we just recently created and began filling the chicken wings with it.

Once finished, we placed three wings into each of our skillets as I gave the next set of instructions.

"Now then, normally to cook both sides will take some time, but we will be using my flames to expedite the process. When you factor out the speed advantage my flames offer, you must watch the chicken carefully until it's properly cooked. Since we're leaving the skin on, we also must watch it cook to a crisp, but overly crisp."

"Understood." Ms. Lianna replied, watching the soft glow of my white flames overtake the blue flame from the stove burner.

Their eyes, like mine, carefully watched the chicken cook in what seemed like seconds, the layer of skin a crisp, golden brown, just like we needed it to be.

Brilliant. We're getting closer to being finished.

"Now is the time to add the hot water and Parmesan."

And so we did by first pouring the water into skillet with a ladle, and then thinly coating the chicken wings in a layer of Parmesan cheese. Noticing she added too little, ms. Lianna carefully added a tad more Parmesan, while ms. Ryūjinhonō added an adequate layer herself.

It was clear to me both have never cooked any sort of food until now, but their motivation was carrying them well enough to succeed in our task currently. A few faults here and there, but nothing all too serious.

In fact, the both of them seemed to be very keen on the idea of making sure their dish was perfect.

Whatever their reasons, they were doing a splendid job.

Once I placed the lid on the skillet, ms. Lianna and Ryūjinhonō doing the same, I told them, "Now, once we've entered this stage, one must carefully listen to the popping noise in order to determine when it is time to take the next step. It's important to have as little noise around you as possible."

There were many different types of focusing techniques to allow one's hearing to be very selective and focused on only one source of noise.

I should know, Master's hearing seems to be very selective at the most inopportune times…

I let out a sigh, and continued to have my eyes closed as I waited patiently for our signal, the only noise that could be heard being the beautiful sizzling inside the enclosed skillet.

Once I heard the popping sounds, our time to act had arrived.

I quickly removed the lid of the skillet along with my compatriots, and set to work on creating the sauce. We mixed the potato starch together with the chicken stock to allow it to thicken, and then added our faux shouyu, sake, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil and ketchup, and gently stirred the contents to create the final part of our dish.

With that finished, we moved our cooked wings from the skillets to three plates, and poured the sauce onto them.

"Careful not to oversaturate it you two. While the sauce is a delectable addition to the recipe, it's best that you put a decent balance to it. Don't let it overwhelm the dish itself." I cautioned.

They both nodded and proceeded to carefully pour the sauce over the wings, still carefully following my lead by watching their dishes and myself carefully.

For as little information I possessed, this "Cheese-Feathered Hanetsuki Gyōza" turned out really well for my first time making this dish…

That Sōma character Ciel enjoys reading about is quite the eccentric character. But I can understand him to a degree; like myself, he's always focused on improving his skills and recipes, cares about making really satisfying dishes, and is very innovative in the toughest of situations.

Perhaps I'll read more of this… Shokugeki no Sōma that Ciel strongly recommends on occasion… Maybe the reason she keeps recommending it is because she wants me to recreate some of dishes.

Either way, I'm very interested after today's experience.

"Well done you two. For first timers, you both did very well for yourselves with few mistakes."

"That was… fairly difficult… You move with such grace and steeled nerves that it made it somewhat difficult to keep up with your pace…" Ms. Ryūjinhonō commented.

"Agreed. Even with my knack for precision, it was still difficult to follow your movements." Ms. Lianna stated.

"My apologies you two… I've been working on cooking for so long that everything just flows so naturally for me. That, and I've rarely taught other people."

"It's quite alright ms. Kitsukami. It was an interesting experience either way, and we did learn quite a lot from you. It's evident that your skill in cooking is incredible." Ms. Lianna replied.

"That, and your combat ability is tremendous from what we've heard." Ms. Ryūjinhonō stated.

I've only ever fought Mr. Chroma in combat class, and I used only the most basic of techniques really. Not enough to garner any attention really…

"Simply Leonard has made that claim numerous times so far, as did the younger sibling Ciel."

"I'm not that incredible really…"

Perhaps the numerous challenges and entities Master and I have overcome together are something to speak about, but…

"Your partner's siblings tell a different story. If I recall, Ciel has stated that on numerous occasions you've single handedly destroyed mountainous beasts with those flames of yours."

Those two… They need to be told not to puff up our stories so much! And I didn't always do it myself! I did have Master's help most of the time…

"I-In any case… let's take these back up to our room. I'm sure they must be waiting for me."

* * *

It was incredible how many people we had to decline the food we carried on our way up. Ms. Lianna and Ms. Ryūjinhonō were especially protective of their well made products of labor.

We reached the door of our room, and from inside we heard laughter, though, we heard more of Ciel's laughter if anything.

I opened the door and the three of us looked inside to see Ciel and Leo calming down after Ciel tapped a button on her HoloScroll to pause the video.

"Ah…" the younger sibling started as she took a calming breath, "What's up Foxy? Oh! Is that tonight's dinner?!"

"Indeed it is."

"Woah~! It turned out as great as I expected it to! I knew I could count on you to get the job done!" She exclaimed with joy as she hopped out of her beanbag seat and quickly stepped up to smell the freshly cooked food.

"Splendid indeed…" Leonard stated walking up from behind, "M-Ms. Lianna? Ms. Ryūjinhonō? Uh, welcome! Your appearance is a bit sudden…"

"We… helped Ms. Kitsukami with creating this meal." Ms. Lianna said as she presented Leonard with the dish she made.

"You guys helped Foxy?" Ciel questioned, "Neato."

"T-That's right! So take care and appreciate our hard work!"

"Sure!"

The smaller girl happily accepted the dish from her dragon Faunus benefactor, and reached inside a now present hole of black and white Aura to bring out a pair of chopsticks for both herself and Leonard, tossing him the other pair as she ripped a piece off to consume it.

I set my dish down on Master's desk nearby, but I soon noticed how stiff and rigid Ms. Lianna and Ms. Ryūjinhonō were. They were really anxious as they waited for the siblings to take the first bite.

"Woah-ho! So good~!"

"Agreed! This is very good..!"

They were very quick to to settle into their dishes, Ciel almost done with hers the moment she put her chopsticks to it.

And the two next to me seemed very satisfied with the results. The usually stoic Ms. Lianna even smiled slightly.

It was just a hunch of mine, but I do believe there's a deeper meaning behind their joy at the sibling's satisfaction with their meals. It can't simply be just the satisfaction of good work… right?

I felt my collar vibrate slightly and saw a small white light blink on a few times from the chip on square of my clothing.

I raised up a hand and brought up my holographic display, seeing a new message from Master that just came in.

 _"Hey, busy right now?"_

 _"No, not really. I just finished cooking dinner actually." I texted back, "Do need my assistance with something Master?"_

 _"You just finished cooking? Damn… Alright, I'll be there in a second."_

 _"D-Don't inconvenience yourself Master! I'll go to where you are and-"_

 _"Nah, don't sweat it. I'm already outside the door. Come out for a second."_

I closed my screen and looked to the four of them, "I'll be back shortly."

"Take your time Foxy! We're not going anywhere!" Ciel replied, finishing up her dish.

A brief smile flashed across my face as I carried the plate in my hand, and closed the door behind me.

"Sounds like they're having fun."

The sudden voice that came from nowhere startled me enough to make me jump, almost dropping my dish had I not been quick enough to catch it. I turned to find Master standing behind me, waving at me with one hand.

It wasn't until then I noticed his hand underneath the plate, helping to keep it steady as I finally handed it over to him.

"Wow… So this is what you made…"

"Is… Is it to your liking?"

"Definitely. The smell alone is getting to me… And making me actually hungry a bit…"

"Ah, I'm sorry! I forgot to bring chopsticks! I'll be right-!"

"No worries no worries, I got it covered."

I saw a small amount of white and black Aura flow between his fingers, forming a pair of glowing white chopsticks with a black outline that grasped a corner of the gyoza and tore off a chunk. Master eagerly raised it up, and was about to take a bite… but he stopped midway.

Did I do something wrong?! I can't have! I made sure that-!

"Here. You first."

"Hmmm..?" I asked in a confused tone, looking to the pair of chopsticks near my mouth.

"You didn't make anything for yourself, right? Have some with me."

"Of… Of course…"

My voice had grown quite as I opened my mouth and allowed Master to feed my the product of my work. It was… absolutely delicious… Tasting it now, I may have added a bit more of the faux shouyu than I needed, but it wasn't enough to be a detriment to the dish overall.

When I looked to Master, my eyes widened slightly when he used that very same pair of chopsticks to take a bite for himself.

"Excellent as always. Never seen you make this before… This a new recipe?"

"Y-Yes..!" I replied, my voice raising in pitch slightly as I tried to control my tail's movements, "C-Ciel recommended it… so… I thought I should try to make it since you said I should make something new…"

"No way, she actually made a good recommendation for once?" Master asked me taking another bite.

"She makes good ones on occasion..." I told him as a pair of glowing white chopsticks appeared in my hand, allowing me to partake as well, "Like with the steamed pork buns. And that seafood special we made last month."

"Ah, you're right you're right."

Both of us steadily lowered ourselves to ground and leaned against the wall, the plate balanced upon Master's thigh as we continued to eat together. It was… difficult for me not to reach out and grab hold of his hand.

How I longed to do so…

A heavy sigh escaped my lips, prompting Master to glance at me.

"O-Oh, it's nothing! I… I'm just a tad exhausted is all… It was a long day with all the classes… and the rather heavy essay we had to write for professor Oobleck's class. I'm still not all that amazing concerning academics I'm afraid…"

"What, you kidding? You're leagues better than most of the class. You're pretty much at the top of the classes with me."

"I-I am?!"

That was a bit surprising to hear… It's not as if I don't study, I do study for quite an extent of time when I do so. But to be at the top of the class…

"Master, if I may, how is it that-?"

"It's best you don't ask. That way I won't get scolded."

"Did you do something you shouldn't have?" I asked him with a serious glare.

"N-Nope. Totally not."

My glare only intensified with my low growl as I sought the truth from him.

It always worked, not matter what. Which is why he's never been able to lie to me.

"A-Alright, so I asked a teacher to check for me is all when I shouldn't ask. They don't let us check our own grades at any time like they did back at school in Primordial. I… just wanted to make sure we were doing well. Well, I know I was doing well. I was mainly checking because of those two." He said pointing back to the dorm room, where we heard Ciel's laughter.

"For Ciel and Leonard?"

"Yeah, I was afraid their 'competition' might be getting in the way of actually doing well. That and… well… I was making sure you were doing alright too…" he said avoiding my gaze.

He was concerned for me..?

He… was concerned for me..!

"If you need help or anything with homework or studying or whatever, just ask me. I'll help you anytime you know."

"I-I-I-I see..! Thank you very much for your kindness!"

I only just now realized I somewhat screamed that at him…

"I… actually need a favor. If you don't mind of course."

"Name it! I'm eager to help!"

"Can you find Anoel's Aura Signature for me?"

…

What..?

"Why do you wish to know where she is?" I asked as calmly as possible.

"Well, I was talking to Arex just now, and she said she hasn't heard from Anoel the whole day. Which is unusual because even if Anoel is doing a job, she usually checks in no matter what. So I thought as a favor we can check on where she is and see if she's alright."

I see… I had nothing to worry about then… He's simply performing a favor for Arex out of cocinen…

"You remember Anoel's Aura Signature, right?"

A nod was given in response to his question. After all, I could I ever forget her rambunctious Aura?

My eyes closed as I focused on remembering the feeling of Anoel's Aura. And as I remembered it, I felt myself being pulled away quite a distance in the darkness until I came upon a fiery presence. Though… it seemed quite faint…

My free hand had raised itself up, silently asking for Master's own to transmit her location to him. It was a unique ability I possessed with my sensing abilities, which allowed me to accurately pinpoint anyone's Aura Signature around the world if I recognized it, even across dimensions. And to make it better, should an ally need to be sent off, I can "give" the location of a presence to another should I touch them.

Faint traces of our Aura flared up in our joined hands, my flaming white Aura intermingling with Master's white and black Aura.

"Thanks. I owe you one." He replied with a smile.

It almost always melted my heart seeing him smile…

But still…

"You do seem to owe me quite a lot…" I proclaimed rather selfishly without thinking.

And as soon as I recognized what I said, I was practically mortified.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean-!"

"No no, you're actually right you now. I do owe you a lot more than what I can give right now. You and your family. All of you helped me out so much over the years, I don't think I could ever pay you back really…"

Well… I do know of a way he could pay me back indefinitely…

But that remains to be unspoken of.

For now.

"Well, thanks for dinner. You do know you don't have to cook for us all the time, right?"

"Nonsense. I do it happily all the time. And… it's quite fun to make something new now and then. And seeing you all enjoy it."

You in particular though…

"Right… Regardless of that, thank you. Now, I'm off to make sure Anoel's alright at least and report to Arex. Uh, be ready to help in case she's… you know, injured? Her job as an infobroker isn't exactly the safest kind of business considering the people she works with sometimes."

"Understandably…" I sighed.

We once worked extensively with an infobroker back on Primordial that seemed to attract trouble around every corner. Needless to say, Master and I always expected a call every other Tuesday night.

"Alrighty…" He said standing up, "I'm off. I'll be back in a while."

"Safe travels, Master."

With a nod, he took off down the hall and rounded the corner out of my sight.

…

I can't quite put my finger on it, but for some time now, I've felt as though something was off with him. He seems normal enough, yes… but I feel as though there's something he's not telling me.

Normally, I would've been able to hear what he was thinking, and figure it out that way. As a result of linking our souls together, we could hear one another's thoughts clearly. At least, we used to be able to.

For years now, I know he hasn't been able to hear my thoughts and feelings, only I could his. To make matters worse, within these last few months… I haven't been able to hear anything at all. It worries me because… what if he's having difficulties and not telling any of us about it? It's not simply because I am his partner that it's my duty to help him. It more than that.

It's because I'm…

I'm…

…

…

…

I can't change the past. What's done is done. The only thing that remains is the present, and how to advance towards the future.

And this time, I won't let anything happen. I won't be the reason for his suffering like the last time.

I will not make the same mistake.

* * *

 **10 minutes prior to meeting with Inuba…**

 **(Dante POV)**

Nothing. Not a damn message from anyone the whole day.

Oh, Dante, can you kill this person that's been tormenting my friend for ages now? Sure thing boss, happy to help.

Not even the courtesy to tell me anything. Apparently not smart enough either to have a strategy meeting on what we should do about that Devil Woman, Quinn. Like who can who can do what. I get it to a degree, outsider and all, but they asked for my help taking her down.

The least they could do is give me some damn information to work with rather than leaving me by myself to figure out a strategy to kill her. I'm not even sure the technique I developed will cut through whatever defense she has that makes her apparently untouchable.

To make it worse, I don't when she'll attack us. If she's smart, she won't think about doing it here at Beacon. If she's even smarter, she should attack neither of us period. But Quinn's got an agenda of her own, and I doubt she'll be stopping anytime soon unless someone physically makes her stop.

Enter stage left Dante.

…

I'm really starting to think Elisia might be right about them. Hopefully it isn't the case, but they're doing nothing at all to prove otherwise.

Still, can't back out now. I don't care about any rewards or anything like that. Fact is they asked for my help. So I'll give it.

Even if they aren't cooperating with me all too well. Like giving me their freaking numbers to communicate.

Typical…

'Oh, look at me, we're so badass we don't really need your help Dante, we just said that so you can sympathize with us'...

Is what I'd naturally assume to be the case on any other given day. But it's clear to me these people have their...personal problems. So with time, I'll have to get around it eventually.

Well, since Annoel is more than likely to communicate with me, hopefully, I'll go ask her for any updates on the Quinn situation. See if there's any leads so I can try tracking her down.

My feet stopped at the front of ELAA's door, and given I couldn't feel Ezdeil's Aura Signature, it was safe to say he wasn't home at the moment. At least I didn't have to deal with him.

"Special delivery!" I said knocking on the door.

"Erm, hang on..." a voice spoke out.

Well, Arex is home at least. That might help things. Maybe. I hope.

The door quickly opened with a "Need something?" from Arex, who looked pretty confused to why I was there. And by the bag I held in my hand.

I brought sweets for the small Kitsune as an offering.

"I bring gifts." I replied, "And also because I needed to get away for a bit. Not even I can entirely handle those rascal siblings of mine…"

Sort of the truth, but not entirely. Now that I'm looking around, Annoel doesn't seem to be in…

"Well, what makes this room a good place to get away? And why the gifts?" Arex asked stepping aside, letting me enter the room.

"You guys are nice to talk to. And fun to a degree. Of course, your leader would be plotting every second of my demise, which would never happen mind you, but still, you guys are pretty fun."

Try as he'd like, Ezdeil will never be able to kill me. Still, he probably has a diary hidden away with all sorts of plans numbering into the thousands of how he's going to try and kill me. I think.

Getting off track…

Well, besides Annoel not being here, I guess I can do what I said I'm doing here and chat with them for a bit to get to know them. See what else I can figure out from them.

"Not… that I don't believe you, but Kit can't exactly talk, and I'm terrible at holding up a conversation."

"Still fun. I haven't had to bring out sign language since my voiceless friend got her voice back. Whole story with witches I need to tell you guys about someday. And you're pretty fun to hang out with in your own way. Even if you're a bit awkward around people."

Which was true. I met someone in high school who came from a family of witches. A clan of rival witches killed my friends clan and her mother, and also stole her voice, preventing her from using any high tier magic. So when I tried getting to know her better, I looked up extensive tutorials on sign language and learned it within three hours. Next day I went to school and had a nice, silent, conversation with my friend.

…

I kind of wonder what she's up to these days...

 _"You're pretty fluent with sign language, so that explains why you know it so well."_ Kitsuki cut in as she signed at me, strolling over to take the small bag from my hand with a cute flick of her ears, then padded away.

"Guess we need to make time to hear it at some point then..." Arex replied quietly, watching Kit plop herself back down onto their bed to start plucking the wrapped items out of my gift bag of baked sweets, "Still, kind of weird to show up just to talk without wanting something."

The only thing I want at this point of time is to know you better. We could be friends later on for all either of us know. Plus, she knows how to make weapons and all sorts of gear from what I saw when she was working at the forge. I could learn a few things from her.

I noticed her glancing down to the Scroll in her hand, the light on it dim.

Was she waiting for a call or message from someone?

"Meh, I don't want anything to be honest. Just want to strike up a bit of conversation is all. And make friends. Are we friends actually?"

I'd at least hope she and I can be friends if not her sister. Or her diabolical leader.

"Probably not..." Arex answered rather honestly, "Might eventually be, though."

...

Please be my friend?

Now that I looked at her, she seemed… very fidgety. Did something happen?

"Have you seen Anoel at all over the past two days, by any chance?"

Anoel hasn't been here for two days now? I just saw her yesterday night though.

…

She must have gone back with that girl that got spooked by Quinn, Lylac. They seemed very close. Like, really close. If that's the case, then it's only make sense for Anoel to go back home with Lylac and make sure she was alright.

"Two days… Is that… unusual behavior?" I asked.

"Not for her..." Arex replied, "But being unresponsive is. She's an info-broker. She's always checking her scroll, so it's weird for her to leave a message for so long without responding, even if she's busy."

"Huh…" I said looking off to the side.

I checked the display of my holographic Scroll, remembering just now that Anoel did give me her phone number, I just didn't put her name down for that number yet.

Damn me and my sometimes scatter brain brain.

Still, no contact at all within the past two days? That's definitely a bit unusual. Sure, maybe she is busy. But she usually responds by the hour if she's out if what Arex is telling is true.

"Last I saw her was yesterday night at Nosferatu's bar when… Actually, I'm leaving that last bit out. But yeah, I saw her then. She seemed to be doing okay. Nothing wrong or anything."

I shouldn't mention Quinn. Arex doesn't seem like the type to blab, but I could be wrong. And if I did tell her and she accidentally told Ray? I'd have screwed the pooch since Ray isn't supposed to know Quinn is back.

"Was she with anyone?" Arex asked with a concerned look.

Ugh… I hate it when people look at me like that… I just can't not give them a sort of answer.

"Know anyone called Ly?"

She… looked like she recognized the name.

"Was anyone else there?" She asked looking at me directly.

"Just me, my partner, and that bundle of pure joy TA from Dravus' class. Apparently she took Inuba out for a girls day out, which turned into a girls night out. They ended the day with going to Niro's bar, and I just happened to walk by."

"Okay, still, it doesn't really sound like something that'd give Anoel trouble or keep her… Was that all that happened? Just a talk?"

Yeah… A bit more than just a talk happened…

I don't have it confirmed it, but considering Arex and Anoel are directly related, as far as I know, they might have a similar mind reading ability. Luckily, I've been working on something to block it out completely, so it shouldn't work on me.

Still, I should be a bit careful with my thoughts.

"After your sister tried smooching my partner, yeah, it was just talking. Getting to know each other more in a basic sense. Got to start somewhere, right?"

Don't know why, but thinking about how Anoel was about to make out with Inuba made my blood boil a bit. Like I was angry. But I'm not. So why is the sensation present.

Agh… I don't want to deal with that right now...

"Doesn't surprise me, but… Anoel didn't come back to the room last night, so she probably stayed with Ly. She's just been inactive since."

Same thing I've already guessed Arex. But it's still odd that she didn't contact you if she was just staying over at Lylac's place to make sure she's safe.

"Well, she is an info-broker right? She could just be working a lengthier job than usual. After all, I did ask her some time ago if she could find out about certain matters for me of a complex nature. Not sure if she took it seriously though…" I mentioned.

Can't rule out that possibility yet, but the more I think about it, the more my instincts are telling me otherwise...

"She doesn't take a lot seriously. And she'd warn me if she was going to be away for a while." Arex told me as she stared at the ground.

"Hmmm… You must really like your sister..."

"Well, yeah, she's my sister..." Arex returned easily, checking her scroll again, "I'm just worried about her. She likes to get into trouble and there's usually nothing I can do about it."

"Well, us older siblings tend to make it that way. Most of the time unintentionally." I said with a soft smile.

"It doesn't help that it still worries and scares me when she does…"

"Well, have no fear. I'm sure she's fine."

Hopefully. I don't know the answer to that question myself.

And it's bugging me quite a bit.

"Just as much as we get into trouble, we just as quickly get out." I offered, trying to console her.

…

…

No matter what way I think about it, this whole thing seems odd.

A thought came to mind about a potentiality.

Anoel's relationship with Lylac seemed… very very intimate. Like "in a relationship" intimate. Quinn tormented Lylac for who knows how many years. Anoel is obviously angry about that, even if she hid it pretty well.

She thinks she's clever because she can play it as cool as a cucumber, but little does she know I can see through her act.

She wouldn't be the first. Nor the last.

Given Anoel is frustrated about the situation, there's only one thing I can think about that she'd be thinking about. And I was really hoping she didn't do what I'm thinking she did. If so… then this made matters a whole lot worse.

Which means since I offered my help, I now have to go look for Anoel and make sure she's alright.

Damn it… Making more work for me than necessary...

"Well, I've got a small errand to run now that I remember. If I see her, I'll patch her in immediately for you." I said moving towards the door.

"If you see her. But thank you." She said genuinely.

I waved both Arex and her three tailed Kitsune partner Kitsuki goodbye, and closed the door behind me, letting out a silent, frustrated sigh.

I swear Anoel… You'd better be in one piece when I find you. I really don't want to be the one to break it to Arex if it's the opposite case…

Hopefully Inuba's in. With her sensory skills, she'd be able to pinpoint Anoel at any time, wherever she is.

And now the fun begins…

* * *

 **15 minutes later...**

Damn it… Damn it all…

Stupid stupid stupid girl…

What on earth made her think she could take on that devil woman with her abilities?!

Inuba managed to track Anoel and give me her exact location, but she said her Aura Signature was faint. Which meant one thing.

Anoel, as smart as she is, made a really really poor choice and decided to hunt down Quinn on her own. And she screwed up royally.

Damn it!

I quickly ran outside of the dorms and towards an area of the courtyard no one passed by at night. Didn't need anyone spotting me and asking questions later.

When I got to the edge of the cliff overlooking the massive lake hundreds of feet below me, I lined myself up with where I remembered Inuba showing my Anoel's location, and summoned my white longsword with black detailing to my right hand. I reverse gripped my weapon and placed my left hand on the butt of the handle, moving my hand outwards as I added a solidified length of Aura to extend the handle, transforming my sword into a type of spear.

Despite how I was rushing to take aim, I was still trying to be accurate as possible with my aim.

Anoel was straight ahead of me by forty six miles. Which meant I needed a lot of throwing power.

My right arm had quickly been cloaked in black Aura, forming the black, vicious-looking segmented armor of my Shadow Skin to help power up my throw. But that wasn't all I was going to be using.

A subtle flow of my white and black Aura coated my entire weapon as the energy crackled ever so slightly, my arm raising itself up to take aim before I threw. I used my left hand to guide my sight for more accuracy to aid in my quickly done calculations. And when I was certain I had it right, I reared back my right arm.

"Devouring… Light!"

My arm moved forward intense force hurling my now spear-like sword forward like a blindingly fast lightning bolt as streaks of white and black Aura trailed behind my weapon.

From what I estimated, it'd be about forty six seconds until my weapon reached its destination.

Was I trying to skewer the potential villain Anoel confronted? Of course not.

I was trying to get there as fast as I could, seeing as I couldn't fly anymore like I used to be able to. So I had to improvise with this.

Five… Four… Three… Two… One…

I used my ability, Embedded Shift, making my body feel as light as a feather as I surged forward. Within and instant, I had moved to my destination, grabbing hold of my sword that was planted blade first into the ground around the warehouse-like area I found myself in.

A quick glance behind me, and I saw that Anoel was a mess. She was alive, and not fatally injured. But what made what I saw worse was the fact Ray was there too, just a bit ahead of her, in a similar, if not worse condition.

Damn you Anoel… You went and involved the one person Lylac asked not have involved… Just great…

I saw someone else there too. Someone I hadn't seen before, but had grabbed Anoel and was about to grab Ray. He had midnight black hair, neatly trimmed and slicked back so none of it covered his face. His attire consisted of a black flight jacket with a grey hood in place of a fleeced collar. The jacket covered a light grey t-shirt that held no notable features, just plain in its entirety. Most notably were the black wayfarer glasses he wore. With a slight downward tilt of his head, I could see bright blue eyes behind those shades of his, a shade darker than mine.

On his legs were a pair of black close-fitting jeans , again, nothing out of the ordinary. He wore black tanker boots on his feet, providing adequate protection and comfortability.

On his back, he had a black and white rucksack with its chequered pattern, both straps taut around his shoulders and underarms. In his hand was his weapon, a shotgun, oddly angular in design. A hybrid of reflective silver and matte black metal plates that looked like it could shift into a two-handed sword.

Multiple dust cartridges for various scenarios were strapped around his upper thighs. That weapon of his looked ti be magazine fed instead of manually loaded, which meant he could empty his clips and reload them with quick succession.

I wasn't sure if I should attack him first instead of the Devil Woman in front of me, but the look he gave me when his shades tipped downwards a bit…

…

Guess I have to trust him that he's not with Quinn…

Otherwise, I'll have screwed up.

And then I'll have one more person to kill tonight.

A small card of white Aura formed in my hand, black numbers quickly etching themselves into the card with my Scroll number.

"Get them out of her and send me their location when you're all safe." I demanded, looking back to Shades as he gave me a nod.

Before I knew it, he was out and gone, and I found myself staring at a pissed off Devil Woman that looked at me like I was her new chew toy.

"As for you… Let's you and I have some fun…" I said as I readied my sword.

* * *

 **End of the semester is approaching which means it's the end of the world as we know it. So it's been a bit tough writing out chapters when most of my time is on homework and studying.**

 **Anyway, besides my own struggles, looks as though Dante will be facing struggles of his own now that he's face to face with Quinn. Will his new trick work against her? Will he manage to beat her? Well, looks as though you'll have to come back and see for yourself.**

 **With that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	27. KoWaB 27

**Heya folks. If you've read VotA, you'd know I'm far behind on it and need to seriously focus on it more. So for the duration of the summer, I'll be posting for both stories as soon as I finish them. Meaning, as soon as I finish writing out a chapter, I'll quickly get it edited and post it immediately. So be on the look out every... eh... 3-5 days? Depends on whether or not my summer courses and eventual job get in the way.**

 **Anyway, announcement done. On with the chapter.**

* * *

 **Of Devils and Duelists**

«»

So… looks like they're gone. That notches it down to me and the devil woman then.

Perfect.

Now I can test out my new trick without worry of anyone else around me. I could use Shadow Skin but… there'd be all sorts of destruction then. And Ozpin did ask me not to use it unless it's a real emergency.

Not that I'd be in that kind of emergency.

Turning my head back, I glared at Quinn, who stood a short distance away from me. I only now noticed the various blood smears around us. Likely a mix of Ray and Anoel's given how injured they were.

Sloppy work too. Enjoys playing with her prey then? Hmmm… Definitely not simple minded if she outdid the two of them. Then there's the sword-whip resting on her hip. Gives her decent ranged ability.

I hate fighting her kind. They're too damn annoying.

Frankly, I'm more surprised about the fact she hasn't attacked me yet. Maybe there's some modicum of decency to her?

"So… tormenting blondie wasn't enough for you? Come on, don't you have any hobbies or anything?" I asked her raising up my hands.

Quinn stared at me silently for a few seconds before shifting her weight to her uninjured leg.

"Why don't you cut the conversation and do your job?" she asked monotonously. "I'm sure we both have better things to do."

"True enough I suppose. But this doesn't strike me as a sort of grudge situation," I stated, planting my sword into the ground and leaning forward a bit, "What are you after that you'd mess up those two like some frenzied shark?"

Which if you think about it, wasn't too far off in context.

"Why's that any of your concern? You're here to fight me, are you not?" she questioned in retaliation. "My actions shouldn't spur anything more than that."

"Again, true. But people interest me you see. They've got all sorts of motivations for doing things. This doesn't strike me as a simple grudge. If I didn't know any better… you're desperate for something that he has that you don't. So come on, share with me a bit. You might not get the chance to later."

I'd at least know more before I kill her.

A dry chuckle emanated from her before she shook her head slightly. "You fail to understand what's happening right now. You're a essentially a henchman, all you need to know is that I'm a bad person and you should stop me."

Her left leg supported most of her weight as she leant onto it a little more. "You shouldn't try any harder than that. Getting information is the information broker's job."

"Henchman huh…" I said rubbing my chin, "Well, I guess I am sort of an extra in this instance."

I stood up straight and drew my sword from the ground, twirling it once as I let it fall to my side.

"Sure you won't tell me? Once I beat you, you're definitely not going to like how I'll get my answer from you. Hint hint, it'll hurt. A lot."

"Pain is an old friend."

"And pain's still a mystery for me." I stated rather bluntly, but seriously.

Well… I guess I'll have to lob off an arm. Maybe her legs. They always get more upset about their legs when they're gone and they live after.

"You had your chance. Now we do it the hard way."

Quinn slowly drew her whip out and extended it into her sword form, holding it by her side before she spoke again.

"Stop talking."

"Alrighty then. Do your worst devil woman." I said waving my hand towards me to call her over.

Quinn didn't move, aside from beckoning me over instead. "Why don't you come here? You're already so eager to show off."

A woman after my own heart…

I mean that literally. Next thing I know, I might find that hand of hers in my chest and her fingers clutched around my beating heart.

Oh wait. I forgot for a moment I have unbreakable bones. Right...

My feet quickly pushed off the ground as I dashed at her with my sword raised across my body tightly. I said I was going to take her legs, but I'll start with an arm first to make things simpler.

As I came within striking distance, our swords collided, Quinn parrying my initial attack and deflecting it as she twisted to the side.

You're not escaping that easily.

I shot my left hand forward to grab her face, but she grabbed hold of it and leapt over me quickly. In the air, she raised my arm up a bit and then thrusted her foot into my shoulder with great force as she kicked off me, flipped backwards, and landed a decent distance away from me.

Defensive and nimble… Ugh… I find myself disliking her more and more…

"Hey… Did you just try to dislocate my shoulder?" I playfully asked, raising up my left arm and pointing at her to show how useless that attack was.

Quinn narrowed her eyes as she tilted her head to the side.

No response huh?

Man… Too serious, too serious…

"Don't look so glum. You should be having fun."

While I am getting slightly annoyed, she's at least a better combatant than most people I've faced.

I slid my right foot back and grabbed my sword with both hands as I entered a pose, rearing back my blade and having it pointed towards the devil woman. Then, like mighty Casey at the bat, I moved forward slightly and swung my sword as I let go, letting my sword spin at her rapidly like a sawblade.

Her eyes widened as she rolled to the side to very narrowly avoid it as it crashed into the cargo container behind her.

She wasn't completely unscathed though, as one of the pouches attached to the belt at her midsection was cut clean in half, spilling the small Dust containers onto the shattered concrete ground below her.

Close but not close enough. I need to lure her into a false sense of security with her agility and Semblance.

I waved my hand out then in back towards me, and my sword retracted itself from where it was stuck and spun back into my hand.

Quinn stayed in one spot crouched with her free hand planted against the ground, silcery-grey eyes facing me without a hint of emotion in them. "Tell me something. If you will," she said before standing back up. "Why does any of this matter to you, exactly? What has my business with Ray Chroma got to do with you?"

"Oh? You want me to give you an answer when you couldn't do the same? Oh! I know! How about we trade? I'll tell you, then you answer my first question. Deal?"

Quinn took a more neutral, but still guarded stance. "I'm not going to tell you everything, but let's settle for something vague. Deal?"

"I guess I can work with that."

At least it's something. I've got a few guesses but maybe this'll narrow it down.

"Short of it is I'm here to kill you so you don't bother them anymore. That's pretty much it. Since no one else is mental enough but me to take you on directly, aside those two from before, I'm stuck with the job now."

"Let me tell you something very important, and it's imperative that you listen to me carefully," Quinn replied without skipping a beat. "The Chromas, at least the ones I've met, are not what they seem. And you'd be very wise to keep your distance. Especially from the younger one."

"Trust me. I'm already wary of Ray to some extent. Doesn't mean we can't find some sort of mutual understanding. Eventually." I said shrugging.

"You seem to be under the impression that he wants that," she muttered.

"I'm a man of many talents." I said shrugging, "Whether it involves murdering toast or buttering things… Wait, other way around." I said waving my hands, "When it comes to buttering toast or murdering the absolute life out of something, I'm a very creative and useful person. That's just two examples out of hundreds of others."

"And you think killing me is the best option here?" Quinn questioned skeptically, raising a brow.

"Maybe." I replied tilting my head slightly.

"Let me tell you that I'm not the worst those two have dealt with, and let me also state that if it isn't me, someone else will just take my place," the woman's tone dropped an octave as she spoke. "I've already made myself clear that I'm not going to touch Lylac. She's no longer useful to me. But her cousin is."

The woman straightened his posture as she took a small step forward.

"He'll survive this," she added. "He always does."

"And that's a bit of a problem for me. But you… Oho… You my friend aren't doing this for a grudge." I said waving my hand in her direction.

"That's the question though, isn't it?" Quinn asked as she extended a palm, gesturing toward me. "Why is it your problem?"

"I was asked to. That look in her eyes was genuine terror. I don't see that kind of terror these days, but I can definitely tell what entails it. Can't simply ignore it. Plus, she's a friend of a friend."

Sort of. But we'll keep that part secret.

"What Lylac doesn't understand is that you killing me puts Ray in more danger than it's worth," she stated calmly. "I'm not going to kill him. Just so you know. And regardless of what happened in the past, I'm not going to kill her either. But I suppose that doesn't matter to you, it's clear that you have a one-tracked mind about doing it anyway."

"One-tracked? No, not really. If I really was one tracked, do you think I wouldn't have figured out part of the answer for myself talking with you just now?"

"You're going to try and kill me regardless of what I say. That makes you one-tracked."

"Who knows? I did say I'd try to capture you and find out what your deal is. Then what happens next depends."

A frown made its way on her brow as the grip on her sword tightened slightly.

"I'm not exposing everything to them only to have them kill me for nothing, so no, that's not going to happen."

"Like I said, if you gave me a legitimate enough reason not to kill you and take you captive, then we'd be all smiles and ice cream and figure out something with them. Until then… you aren't giving me much of a choice to take the alternative. Unless, you feel like telling me what it is you're really after…"

"I'd rather die than tell you that. If I won't tell them, you have no hope."

"You're desperate. Very desperate. If the Chromas and worse are as dangerous as you say, you wouldn't be going this far like you have. Which means… you're looking for something. Or maybe… someone?" I asked with a rather fiendish smile.

"You're still so fixated on what I want, that you're struggling to see what I'm actually doing," she shook her head, almost seeming like it was in disapproval. "You don't even deserve to know."

"Ray's your bloodhound. That much I know. And you aren't going to stop until you get what you want."

"My point exactly."

She brought her sword up in a defensive pose as she lowered herself to the floor.

"Just kill me, you've already wasted too much time."

I let out a sigh and rubbed the back of my head, looking back to Quinn with some bit of disappointment.

"You sure you want this to be over so soon? Because if that's the case…"

One simple step forward, and I was already at my destination. I was standing behind her, sword in backhand style and lightly touching the skin of her throat.

"It'll be over before you know it."

"You mistake me for somebody who gives a fuck."

"And you mistake me for a pushover because I seem like a stupid kid."

Quinn spun on her heel and planted a roundhouse kick to my chest to put some kind of distance between us.

"If you were stupid, you wouldn't have tried to listen. You're a stupid kid, because you think bringing me to some form of perverted justice will gain you or them anything positive," she spat as her chain sword extended and heading toward me with its razor sharp edges. "Killing me will only make things worse for them."

I reached out my hand and grabbed hold of that razor chain, wrapping it around my hand twice to get a firm hold on it while my blood flowed onto the links.

"Whatever that may be, I'm sure we can handle it. You're uptop with some of the worst, but not the absolute worst. And trust me, there are things way bigger than you that can make a lot more noise."

Like Dark Entities and Angels. And other creatures and things.

"It's those things that will crawl out of the cracks in the walls to kill them long after I'm gone, and you're so goddamn moronic for letting that happen… And thinking you can help them deal with that."

I didn't want to drop my sword, so as I spoke, I raised it up with my hand as if I were making note of levels from low to high.

"Street thug. Drug dealer. Crimelord. Giant robots. Military government commanders and generals. Beasties of all shapes and sizes that can easily kill a man or woman, and entities of untold power. What on this spectrum do you think I'm actually afraid of? Much less incapable of killing?"

Quinn actually let out a dry laugh in response to my question before shaking her head.

"You think that's what I'm talking about? You really don't have a clue." she asked incredulously, yanking her sword and pulling herself toward me to deliver a double kick to my chest.

I let out a quick huff of air and pulled her back towards me with her chain to deliver a side-kick to her stomach. It was strong enough that I was expecting it to maybe damage her soon enough to stop her from moving but… oddly enough, no cry of pain or even a grunt.

Ah right… She has that nuisance of a Semblance of hers. So it works on physical attacks too.

Perfect. This makes using my technique so much more satisfying when she actually takes damage.

And so she rises again like nothing even happened.

"Fill me in so I can start planning."

"I'm not trying to protect them from such pathetic obstacles as you just listed. I'm trying to protect them from themselves, you fool."

"Aw, you really do care."

"I care enough to actively stop him from finally tipping over the edge. And you have no idea just how close he's getting to it," Quinn uttered darkly. "And the only thing preventing it is her."

"I'll admit, Ray's volatile. But come on, do you expect me to believe he'll go full darkside and start planning world conquest? Or destruction? Or whatever stupid nonsense villains come up with?"

"He's already conquered one, and nothing is to stop him from conquering the other," she replied callously. "This is what happens to a world that does everything it can to spite a kid so young. And believe me when I tell you that he won't stop until it's done. That is why you need me, whether you like that, or not."

…

So he's one of those huh…

And here people say I can't relate to others all too well.

"So what? You're the checks and balances then?" I said rushing forward.

We exchanged a few swipes, most of which I blocked, but that annoying sword whip of hers kept cutting me up regardless. And even worse, it wasn't breaking regardless of much force I put behind my strikes. I mean, I was restraining myself so I didn't outright kill her but…

We soon came to another clash as she wrapped her chains around my sword to lock me into place.

"Call me whatever you want, but he needs an anchor, and the only one he has right now is so desperately fragile," Quinn retorted, relentless in her assault and defence.

This was getting annoying…

"Yeah? And who do you think made her so fragile?" I asked kicking her away as the chains unraveled from my sword.

"Lylac was fragile before I found her. You want someone to blame? Go find her parents," Quinn answered immediately. "When she goes, and she will go, nothing will stop Ray from tearing this rock a new one."

"Don't be so sure of yourself. Family's important. You don't just drop that kind of thing and leave unless you're the lowest of the low."

A dagger was drawn out of Quinn's boot before she threw it with laser precision toward my face, an attack that was effortlessly swatted away with my index finger.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how stable do you think they are?" Quinn asked tauntingly, throwing another dagger. "Spoiler alert; it's not very high."

I caught that other dagger between my teeth like a rose from a samba dance, and spat it out into my hand as I toyed around with it.

"Lylac's not in the best condition mentally, and for good reason. People get scared. So I'd say a five, maybe a six since I'm generous. Ray… Well… Ray's an angry whatsit that'd bite your ankles off, but he isn't crazy. Somewhat." I said contemplating my own answer before I straight tossed the dagger at her, "He's more rational than insane."

"Now then, let me correct you on both parts. Lylac, despite her outward expressions, is very much near losing herself, and that was something happening long before I came across them," Quinn clarified snappily as she caught her dagger and tossed it aside. "She's been driven crazy by the same goddamn things a lot of girls have, and most of that stems from loss."

She took a step toward me and deployed her snake-like sword, its pointed tip very nearly grazing my cheek before it retracted and she was forced to dodge a wave of my Aura.

"Loss, as in losing things that mean the most to her, which is exactly what's happening right now, something you'll never understand because you don't know them like you think you do."

"I understand loss plenty."

To a much greater extent most will ever realize or know...

"She's losing something else right now, something you're all blind to," Quinn pointed out, gritting her teeth. "So you can all sit there on your thrones and declare me a monster, but I know the truth. Know just how close she is to losing her cousin."

No, you're a shark, but we're not here to point fingers.

Still… Ray can't be that much on the edge like she claims. Maybe that's how she knew him then.

I don't know.

…

If Ray does decide to try to Skynet us one day… will I be prepared for that?

"And when that happens, she'll lose herself. Someone will then be forced to kill that boy. Because while he listens to reason now, don't think for a second that he'll listen once his only anchor is gone."

Well, good thing he hasn't lost it yet. Or will for the foreseeable future.

She has Anoel from the looks of it. And by default, that means she has Ezdeil on her side to a degree.

Death would not want to fuck with that. I would know. He didn't want to fuck with me either. It's why we used to play chess on Sundays instead of trying to kill each other.

He also apparently loves junk food. Go figure.

"Future's not set in stone. There's plenty of time to change that"

The woman let out a huff of air from her slightly parted lips. "Time's running out, kid. This isn't something that can be stopped. Ray will tip."

"Only if he's being forcibly pushed." I said taking a step forward, "Lylac won't let it happen. And neither will the rest of us."

Quinn shook her head with a smirk. "Like any of you can do anything to stop it. You're lying to yourself and it's pitiful."

"I've pulled people out of worser conditions."

Literally, I've pulled people out of Hell. And other transdimensional locations.

Quinn swung her sword at me again, something I sidestepped before parrying another.

But then she paused for a second, eyeing me without so much as a flicker of emotion.

"You can't help someone that doesn't want to be helped."

"I'm a very convincing person. I got you to open up a little didn't I?"

"Only to the condition I stated. I've given you is a vague answer, not a full one," she retorted condescendingly. "Don't think this is all of it, because you still don't know what I want. I'm just telling you what you need to know before I watch every single one of you helplessly watch them fall."

"Sure. Let's start with you first."

Once again I dashed forward, and regardless of how ready she was, she wasn't going to slip through my fingers this time.

She blocked my sword swing easily, but that was just the setup.

My freehand shot forward, and she used her chain to get in my hand's way, but no matter how deep she cut into me, or how much my blood flowed like water in that moment, my hand still made its way to her face. I smashed my palm into her face to stagger her backwards. She thought of course it was futile, that I can't hurt her.

But the next few seconds proved that wrong.

My technique activated, and I swung my sword outwards and across her body. She didn't react for the first few moments, but my smile of victory told her something was wrong. When Quinn looked down, clearly, she was startled a brief moment and let out a small cry of pain as she slid back on her heels, putting distance between us.

"C-clearly…" she stuttered before falling to her knee, spitting out a wad of blood onto the ground. "You w-want what I've warned you about to happen…" She coughed slightly before trying to stand back up again, her Aura trying to patch up the damage caused. "At this point, you all deserve to suffer from it."

"Nope. This was me just testing my new trick I made special for you. I wanted to see if it worked, and it did. And…" I said pointing at her, "I wanted to make you absolutely aware of the fact you're not so invincible. That I can without a doubt kill you if I want to."

Her gaze was on the floor before it turned upward to face me. "I know I'm not invincible… that would only extend my already miserable existence. But it's better than having to see all you hold dear die, isn't it?"

What is she implying..?

…

No… She couldn't have...

"In the end…" she continued, actually flashing a tiny smirk. "Who's the real winner here? Death is an escape, not a punishment."

I chuckled at that statement.

"Trust me. After death can be a whole lot worse."

I raised up my sword to strike her down a final time, but something pushed me back with enough force to get me off my feet briefly.

My eyes trailed down to my stomach as I spotted a small hole, and quickly looked back to see a small beam trail of midnight blue Aura fly off into the distance.

Luckily, I found my bearings and skidded to a halt, looking up to see the new arrival sling one of Quinn's arms around him as he kept his silvery colored top-break handcannon trained on me.

The Midnight Huntsman had arrived.

"Oh look, another white knight joins the fray, how convenient…" she muttered under her breath.

"With your current state of affairs, it's sufficient to say retreat is your only option at this point, Quinn."

"You take me for a coward? He beat me, so let me die and fuck off."

"I take you as a person who is persistent in living to reach the goal she set out for herself. You still have something to find, don't you? Is dying one of your priorities currently?"

"Don't patronize me you self-righteous hypocrite."

He let out a chuckle before the hollowed out eyes of his skull like mask turned to me.

"I'm afraid we must cut things short for tonight, young man. Until next time."

His body and Quinn's body quickly began to sink within the shadow on the floor, and I sprinted forward as fast I could. When I got close enough, their bodies had already sunk into the shadow, but I still turned my blade downwards and plunged it into the ground.

The shadow managed to evade me and make it's escape, but I wasn't about to let them get away so easily.

And so I chased the shadow, leaping over and ducking under the wreckage of the warehouse as my eyes trailed the movements of the shadow. I even shot out some of my Aura swords to hit it, but it was evading those too.

Damn it..! It's like trying to hit a frigging mini clown car that's been juiced up..!

The shadow eventually made its way into a darkened area. As if that would help.

I have night vision eyes ass clown.

…

Sort of. They're not really night vision, but…

Ugh, useless things in my brain… Focus up.

I stopped walking and stood still as my Shadow Eyes took over, the white glow of my irises trailing the floors and walls as I searched.

"You're an interesting individual to come up with a countermeasure for her Semblance in such a short span of time, young man. I'm very impressed."

That voice of his rang out all around me. Echo effect?

Damn… He knows I can see well enough in the dark and knows that since he's using a shadow, I can't entirely spot him, leaving me with sound. But now he's even messing with that to throw me off…

This bastard is appreciatively clever, but still infuriating to fight.

"We'll be going now and leave you be, young man. Go home. There'll be another day to pursue this fight."

Waiting makes me anxious.

…

I think he's gone. Which means… The Midnight Huntsman and Quinn escaped.

Damn it, what a mess…

Now we've got another problem on our hands.

Fucking perfect.

* * *

 **(Ciel POV)**

Man… The snack machines at Beacon don't have anything good at all… Just some healthy junk that "recharges electrolytes" or "relieves muscle fatigue".

Blech...

And so our heroine finds herself walking the semi-dangerous streets of Vale, all alone, and very hungry.

Okay, not really hungry like "oh god I'm starving" hungry, but I want to eat something good damn it. Cafeteria's closed, and the machines don't have great snacks.

So that's why I'm walking down the streets in downtown Vale. I'd use a portal, but I want to find something new.

Hence why this is like a quest for me, like in Phantom Souls, or Grimm Hunter World.

I kept walking with my fingers interlocked behind the back of my head, looking around for anything that was just a simple store or shop. No restaurant or anything, just something simple. But again, new stuff.

Sorry Ramen shop guy, next time maybe.

"Empty your pockets and place your scroll on the ground, and you won't find a bullet in your head."

Bullets in heads? That sounds like trouble.

"Do you want my groceries too? They're fresh."

"What? No. Just your valuables."

"I can give you my shoes too. If you're into that."

Hey… I think I know whose voice that is. The girl's not the dude's. Don't care much about him.

I slowly walked over towards the corner of the alleyway and stepped a bit quicker when I heard the guy shout.

"God, no! Will you hurry up!"

"I don't wanna. You might as well just shoot me."

I peeked my head around the corner and saw some shabbily dressed guy holding a gun to the girl's head.

Hey wait, I do know that girl. She's-

"Listen lady, this gun isn't a joke. I will-"

"Shoot me. Do it. You won't."

Wow, she's as cool as cucumber. But seriously, she shouldn't antagonize him like that, otherwise he'll-

"Damnit woman! I aint kidding here-!"

"Then shoot me! Pull that trigger with your twitchy finger! Do it!"

Oh damn..! Alright, time to step in a bit.

I began whispering quickly, "Time be sti-", then saw the flash and heard the gunshot ring out from the alleyway.

The girl quickly tossed her head aside as a blur of lead drilled itself into the brick wall just to my left, my eyes catching sight of a soft flutter of brown hair before a pale hand snapped up and snatched the man's gun.

Bone's cracked for a split second as she twisted it out of his grasp and stepped forward in the same moment, driving her knee into his gut to crumple him to the floor.

"Wow, you let a girl peer pressure you into shooting her..." she cut dryly as she delicately placed her sneaker against his windpipe, and I could practically see it begin to crush beneath the pressure she added behind it. "Here. If you're gonna shoot someone without hesitation, it looks a lot like this."

In a flash and a rapid concussive burst of gunshots, asphalt and stones tore up around the man's planting head as she traced the shape of it with his own bullets.

And gave him a couple clean cuts and grazes while she was at it.

Wow! This girl honestly does not give a fu-!

"Listen, if you don't have the nerve to pull the trigger on half of the population in this city, you're as good as dead," she spoke firmly, letting the empty clip of his gun slide out and strike his face before dropping his gun too, "That half will kill you before you do."

…

…

I think I'm in love...

"Didn't wanna step in, huh?"

Huh, who's she-?

…

Oh crap, did she notice me?! Don't notice me senpai! Or kouhai! Whatever! It's just a figment of your imagination!

...

...

Amethyst eyes peered back in my direction, and after a moment of actual thought, I realized they were directed straight at me.

Crap…

I did something of a side shuffle with my hands in the air to surrender as I came out from my hiding space, seeing the badass girl just brush off her hands like nothing happened while dongless ran away in absolute terror.

She didn't even drop her grocery bag...

And noticing it now, it looked like she'd just gone to a grocery store.

"Don't worry, I'm not bothered. Would've probably done the same if you were in my position," she said, switching her bag to her other hand to reach into her pocket for something.

I was definitely right about whose voice that was, now that I see the rest of her.

She had a black crop top on beneath her black jacket, its thin sleeves rolled up slightly to make movement a little easier.

A white ombre scarf rested on her shoulders, draped delicately around her neck, its ends frayed and trailing down from where the majority of it rested on her chest.

It paired well with her brown hair, actually.

Going down, the jacket's tail traced down to just where her shorts ended, if not just a little lower than them.

The shorts themselves were rather short actually… starting black at the waist and gradually fading to purple running down to her mid-thighs, where the shorts ended.

Black leggings clung to the lithe legs as I shamelessly followed them down to her similarly colored combat boots.

Wow, now that I looked at them… she had some really nice legs. And she probably knew it, too.

…

Must… stop… staring… at beautiful legs..!

Gah!

Their power is too strong!

"It's Ciel, right?" the girl asked suddenly, my eyes finally breaking away from the spell they were under to catch her looking up from her scroll.

That was probably what she was reaching for from her jacket pocket.

Gah, I'm so distracted…

"Um… yeah, that's my name. Yup… Hehehe…"

I feel dumb now… She was even quirking her delicate brow now as she looked at me.

Shoot, she must think I'm dumb too…

"Well, I'll see you around school then," the girl voiced out, giving me a small wave over her shoulder as she turned and started leaving.

"Woah woah woah hey! Uh… God!" I said slapping a hand to my head.

What's her name?! I've seen her in some of my classes, but I can't even remember her name?! I can memorize stupidly complex algorithms as soon as I read them, but I can't remember a name?!

Considering I can break the sound barrier just trying to swat a fly with my hand, the head slap I gave myself would hurt if I actually felt pain!

"Not even close. My name's Skyla." the girl said, stopping again as she cast an amethyst glance over her shoulder.

If the shortness of breath wasn't enough, I think my heart did the thing where it stopped for a moment or two.

Though, that might be a serious heart problem.

...

Who am I kidding, I can't get those.

"I was uh… gonna do something… Snap my fingers and stuff but uh… well… I saw that you pretty much had it…"

Not to mention you took care of that guy in such a badass way.

"He didn't want the salmon I bought earlier," Skyla replied, turning to face me now as she peeked into the bag clutched in her left hand. "I had to get serious."

Who doesn't get serious when salmon's involved?

Foxy makes good salmon…

"So… uh, you cook? Food I mean, not… well, you know..."

I've been watching too much Breaking Bad lately.

"Yeah…" Her soft eyes narrowed for a moment as I heard her mumble something under her breath about expensive fish and not being able to find a good sale.

She looked really bummed out about that.

"Anyway, I was gonna pick up a quick book series to read on my way back, since I'll be passing the local library on the way," Skyla said, closing her bag.

She even reads..! My heart can't take much more! Critical hit! Natural 20!

"W-What book series?" I managed to say.

I caught a little hum come out of her throat as she glanced at me again for a moment.

I immediately wanted to hear it again.

"They're by Terry Pratchett," Skyla explained. "There's this character called Rincewind that I like reading about right now who befriended a carnivorous luggage box."

"Woah, you read the Rincewind series? For real?"

Has the charmer finally been charmed?! Woe is me!

Though I guess joy is the better word? I haven't read all too much Shakespeare despite big brother wanting me to.

"I do. After I finished the Tolkien stuff, I wanted a bit of a change of pace," Skyla continued, quirking another brow at me. "Are you just saying that, by the way? Or do you actually know the series I was talking about?"

"No no no, I read it. Rincewind's escape from Death is actually pretty entertaining. Kinda makes you wonder if he's blessed or something. Or cursed."

"I found out he's cursed, actually. The only reason why he's so good at cheating Death is because he's really good at running from things," Skyla replied with an amused little smile. "And good to know you actually read it too. I would've thought you were just hitting on me or something."

Please god I hope she didn't hear that silent shriek of mine.

Though the dumb look on my face would've given me away if she paid close enough attention. Thankfully she looked the other way a few moments so I could collect myself.

"It's getting late, and I don't want this fish to spoil, so I do need to go," Skyla said, lifting her bag up for a moment to remind me she had groceries with her.

"Oh, hey! Why don't I go with you? I've got some things I wanted to get too. Plus, you know, we'd less likely get bothered some weird guys if we stick together, right?"

"Hmm?"

She did that hum again.

"Oh, I only took this alley because the market stall lady I was talking with mentioned there was a strange man loitering in it, and not to go this way," Skyla stated casually.

Was she being serious?

"Huh… Good of her to tell you at least, right?" I said shrugging my shoulders.

"Yeah. She was super nice to me, so I'm glad she warns people about that kind of stuff," she said with a shrug of her shoulder, turning away from me again to start heading out.

Only this time, she stopped for a moment and glanced back at me.

"Coming?"

I didn't really care if I had that stupid grin on my face at this point.

"Sure thing!"

* * *

If it's not one thing, it's another.

God…

The flip flapping Midnight Huntsman. I mean seriously, why was he even there? Back up?

No, couldn't be back up because Quinn was just a dumbfounded as I was seeing him there. Was he just walking about and decided to help her out?

Damn, this makes no sense and it's making me angry…

And let's not forget her disturbing revelation about Ray…

I haven't known Ray long, but I know what I know. He's rational, not insane. And with whatever cybernetic enhancements he has built into him, I'm more than certain that holds true.

But still… if something like that were to happen…

…

Would I..?

"So much blood…" A soft, female voice spoke gently.

Huh? Who's..?

"Try to ignore it," Another returned, male, but he sounded like his voice was slightly muffled by something. "We're just here to make this all look like an accident. If that's even possible…"

Yeah, good luck dumbass. How does this even look anything close to being like an accident? It looks like a kraken just tried to have angry relations with a dragon.

And it didn't end up with them being happy in the end.

"No, that's not what she said at all, were you even listening?" The girl replied admonishingly. "GHOST told us to cover up anything that can tie us to this place. Putting big emphasis on the words cover and up."

"If it's all the same to you, that task is easier said than done… this place is a mess," The girl's partner muttered casually. "You ever notice how it's always us that gets the clean up duty? I'm starting to suspect that's the real purpose behind our recruitment…"

The girl very audibly sighed. "This is what happens when we get here last, and it doesn't help when you stop to get a drink."

…

This is mildly entertaining. And it's making up for the fact I lost the dynamic duo. Just a little bit though.

So I silently crept over to a piece of rubble and sat on it, watching the two of them continue their conversation.

If only I had some root beer…

The male was… a lot taller than I expected, wearing a suit of black heavy armor that still allowed for flexibility.

I also found out why his voice sounded muffled, as he wore a helmet with a 'T' shaped slit, obscured by a golden visor.

On his back, he had a sizeable kite shield and sheathed sword mounted diagonally for easy drawing.

My eyes then focused on the girl that was with him, almost pleasantly surprised to see a pair of fox ears flicking idly on top of her ginger head.

She wore a dark grey sleeveless coat, accented with gold and amber detailing on the folded collar and zipper that ran down its center. Her legs were covered be a pair of black cargo shorts that only reached down to below her knees, and on her feet was a pair of black and orange canvas sneakers.

She was easily the light one, quick on her feet too if her lack of armor was any indication.

On her back was a single-edged straight sword, but what most caught my attention was the fact that the blade seemed to be constructed out of two distinct elements. A harder, more dense metal for the spine of the weapon, with a softer, and lighter metal for the blade.

It was well kept too, as it shone even in the dim light of the moon in the overcast sky.

The pair of them seemed to be rummaging through the destroyed dock, looking for something to cover Anoel and Ray's tracks.

Kinda felt sorry for them…

"Well…" The armored guy spoke. "I found Ray's guns. He'd be pissed if he lost these."

"Yeah…" His faunus counterpart sighed in response. "I'm collecting a bunch of bullet casings over here."

She looked tired.

Didn't surprise me, honestly.

Ah, now I get it. They're the clean up crew. The repo people. They erase evidence and make sure it isn't linked to someone. And given who they just mentioned…

Looks like Ray's been keeping secrets...

"Pyro, remind me why we do this again?"

"Because it gets us paid a stupid amount of money… You try finding a cleaning job that pays us four-hundred grand a month," Pyro replied as she bent down and picked up another brass casing. "This is what allowed us to afford our house in the first place…"

Four hundred grand a month? Crap, I'd take that job and get this done in thirty minutes or less.

Are these two in a relationship? This midnight soap is actually getting interesting! I really wish I had my sisters Semblance somedays. I could use it to grab snacks or whatever and and enjoy myself.

The dude sighed before turning to face her. "Point taken… still a pain though."

She stood up straight and yawned, a little squeak escaping her throat as she stretched on the spot.

Pyro nodded before sighing once again. "I know… but given what we had before, this is easy work. So we ought to be grateful."

"Probably if you get four hundred thousand a month." I said, finally speaking up.

Both of their heads snapped to me after hearing that, but my eyes caught Pyro's hand immediately drawing her sword and maneuvering herself into a poised and defensive stance.

"Well yeah but-"

"Knox!" Pyro hissed, turning her head to the side to glance at him before returning to face me in full, fox ears folding on her head.

"Hello~" I said waving briefly.

The pair stayed silent for a few seconds, two eyes and one visor staying on me and watching every movement I made.

"Who're you?" The faunus girl demanded, brows furrowing on her pale face.

"Who're you?" I asked in response.

Her eyes flicked down to my hands for a moment before focusing back on my own.

"Pyro, you need to relax," Her companion spoke calmly. "It'd be pretty obvious if he was hostile, considering he could have attacked us while we had our guard down."

The girl only stiffened in her spot, earning a sigh from her friend as he took a couple of steps toward her.

"Listen to that guy, he's pretty smart. Because…" I snapped my fingers, making hundreds of Aura Swords appear around them in an instant, "I can do this."

The guy, Knox turned on his heel to face me with extended arm. "Look, aggravating her isn't gonna help, pal. Just put those away, she's jumpy."

"I am too given I just got attacked by a shark and then shot by the Midnight Huntsman. Twice now. So who the heck are you guys?" I asked again.

"Look, doesn't matter who we are, but since you haven't attacked us," he turned to face Pyro as his hand lightly touched the tip of her sword and gently pointed it toward the ground, the girl somewhat relaxing in her stance, "and we're not going to attack you, let's just agree to keep things civil, okay?"

"We don't know if he's still not going to attack us, Knox…" the girl growled as her frown deepened.

His other hand, the one not keeping her sword at bay, slowly made its way to the top of her head as he tenderly stroked her ears. "Well, we didn't bother to ask, did we?"

"I'm plenty civil. And I'll still remain civil. So, names and who you work for."

Know sighed before looking at me through his visor again. "It's company policy to not disclose who we work for, but we can give you our names if you ask nicely, how about that, huh?"

Once he was sure Pyro wouldn't raise her weapon again, he took his hands away and let them fall by his sides as he stood next to her. "It would also help your case if you put those things away, because we're under no obligation to tell you anything if we feel threatened. Really, it's a terrible way of making someone's acquaintance…"

"Hey, insurance policy and all that. Besides, you said she's twitchy, so I'm being cautious. That, and in the event you have someone in the distance trying to snipe me, well… I get to bring two new friends with me to the afterlife."

They'd be going alone since… well… I can't die.

"I know from experience that it's nice to have an insurance policy, so I feel you on that but... C'mon dude, I just coaxed her into relaxing, cut me some slack," the guy countered, holding his arms out defensively. "We're not a threat to you, so don't be one to us, please?"

…

I could kill them and their potential sniper in under ten seconds if I got shot at...

"Or you could just sit there in silence and let the tension brew, that's just great, thanks buddy…"

"Hey, I'm thinking strategically in the event I get set up, alright? You wouldn't be the first to try."

The guy literally facepalmed as I said that. "You gotta be kiddin' me, right…? We got sent here to clean up bullets and leftover weapons, at what point do you think we'd try to set you up like we were expecting company?"

"Oh fine you big baby…"

I snapped my fingers and the white and black swords shattered like glass before phasing out of existence.

"Understand if I get assaulted at any moment from any angle, there'll be fisticuffs, yeah? And by fisticuffs, I mean pointy things jabbing you from different angles to give you two some really nice acupuncture."

Gotta lay some ground rules at least.

"Yeah yeah… we get it, you'll hurt us if we hurt you, it's not rocket science," he replied somewhat exhaustedly. "I think I can speak for both of us when I say we're too tired to deal with this and then get into a fight. Let's all just chill out and go about our night."

"Like I said, we're cake. And by the way, you two already gave your leader away."

"We know Ray, if that's what you're referring to," Pyro finally spoke up in response, letting out a small breath as she slid her sword back into its scabbard on her back. "Probably a lot better than you do, since he's not technically our leader."

"Nope, but at least he's aggravating enough to do this sort of thing… So then… he actually is a head honcho of Sentinel…"

Ray gave himself off a bit with his… mannerisms. And introduction. I did some digging and reading, and the Chromas have something of a complicated history. Whatever there was anyway.

"Wow… you really don't know Ray then… This is normal…" She said softly as she shook her head.

"I'm a classmate and he's sort of an asshole. Figured he was up to no good on occasion."

"Sort of?" Knox asked amusedly, his voice brightening up a bit.

"I was being generous given his… circumstances."

"How long have you known him? Out of curiosity."

"Since coming to Beacon. He's made it a habit to speak of my partner. And that makes me very twitchy in retrospect."

They both exchanged a glance between one another before turning back to me, Pyro being the first to speak. "What did your partner do?"

"Kick his ass in combat class without roasting him alive." I simply answered.

Very proud of Inuba by the way.

"Ray doesn't insult people unless he's trying to get rid of them or if they've done something to irritate him," Knox said matter-of-factly as he gave a half shrug. "I can promise you that wasn't it. The guy doesn't get upset over losing a spar."

He seems like a child to me. I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case.

"Whatever. Unimportant. So you two are Sentinel's cleaners?"

They both simultaneously shook their heads.

"Not specifically, we're just the only ones available to do it, everyone else being otherwise preoccupied with other parts of the aftermath, we'll be going once we're done," Knox responded carefully. "Just gotta drop off some stuff before that though."

Pyro turned to him with an apprehensive look on her face. "I don't think we should talk so freely about what we do… We don't even know him."

Her partner only nodded in response.

"It's fine you know. Lylac hired me on. Sort of. Does it count as being hired if I'm working for free currently?"

"Lylac's not part of Sentinel like we are, so while so you seem like a great guy and all, we can't actually tell you anything about it, sorry dude…" Knox replied as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "It kind of defeats the objective of it being a secret organisation."

"Then I'll have to interrogate Ray about it one day. That way I can maybe get a decoder ring from a cereal box too."

"Good luck with that…" Pyro muttered mostly to herself with a grimace, but I still heard it anyway.

"Yeah, about that… Ray wouldn't tell you how he's feeling under torture, so you can probably imagine that he wouldn't even give you a hint about Sentinel," Knox tacked on as he adjusted the gauntlet on his left arm.

I can imagine him talking at the end of it I tried interrogating him.

I've learned… quite a few methods in my years thus far.

"I can find out either way you know if I genuinely pursued it."

"Don't see why it'd interest you. Only part of Sentinel that goes public is the hacking side, and that's deliberate," Knox countered. "If it wasn't, you wouldn't know about the group's existence."

"Nor have any interest in it, because we don't do a whole lot," Pyro continued.

"You sure about that… what was his name… Knox?"

The boy nodded in confirmation.

I smiled at them with a silent chuckle.

They're funny. I'm glad I stopped by instead of walking away.

I brought up my holographic display, seeing I got a new message from an unknown sender.

Shades maybe?

Regardless, it had an address. Encrypted too so no one could pull it off my Scroll.

Smart.

"Well, I'm going to make sure Ray's still got his arms and legs and see how the other one is doing. Man they took a nasty beating…"

I mean really, it was just… painful to see them. It made me shiver a bit and thankful I couldn't feel pain. Or have injuries for long.

"You two kids have fun." I said waving them goodbye as I started walking in the opposite direction.

"Hey, we went against our better judgement to talk with you about something that we're explicitly not supposed to talk about, and you're not even gonna bother helping us with this? Well, that was a waste of effort… seems Ray has a point…" Knox called out annoyedly.

"Do you complain about everything dude? In case you forgot, shark lady and the Midnight Huntsman escaped, and for all I know, they could be plotting Ray's and everyone else's demise very minute."

"I only complain when the circumstances we're in are bullshit, which is exactly what they are right now," The guy replied immediately, voice still possessing the same inflection. "If you're not gonna help us, don't expect us to be so nice if we meet again. It's common courtesy."

Ugh… I hate complainers… If I hate anything more, I'll find myself listening to Linkin Park with Ezdeil one day.

Fine. I'll throw them a bone.

"Alright. I'll give you a gift." I said snapping my fingers as I walked away.

I took the time to examine what they were searching for specifically and spread my Aura out beneath their feet to gather the "trash". Me snapping my fingers basically assorted everything they were looking for into nice, neat piles, making it easier for them to bag it all and get this done significantly quicker.

The impressed hum I got was the only bit of payment I needed.

* * *

 **Offer thanks to the noble gods Xera Stark and HydraFlow for their incredible assistance. Writing with them is always fun.**

 **I've got nothing much else to say. So with that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


	28. KoWaB 28

**Alright, I know what I said last time, but I'm making another change. After this chapter, KoWaB will be going on a brief hiatus. I haven't run out of ideas or am having struggles at all. The problem is I'm far behind in main story VotA, and seriously need to catch up. And I can't do that if I'm working on two stories at once. So after today, I'll solely be working on VotA for the time being and get the chapters out quickly as possible. Sorry, but it has to be done. KoWaB will make It's return soon enough. So with that, let's begin the chapter.**

* * *

 **Of Regroupings and Heated Discussions**

«»

The streets were silent. Eerily silent. Maybe that was because I was filtering out all the casual chatter and happenings while being in a focused "Alert Mode", but it was for good reason.

Quinn and the Midnight Huntsman… Those two aren't a great combo. Quinn herself won't be a problem for me, but she's a sharp one. She's likely gotten used to the "style" I showed her, so that means I'm going to have to change it up a bit next time we meet.

The Midnight Huntsman… He's definitely leagues above her. It's like he's thinking steps ahead and mapped out a list of potential happenings throughout the fight in just a short time.

It's like fighting me. But with a different set of skills and a vastly different personality. He's going to be trouble.

Damn… I can only imagine if that pair and that dragon masked bastard got together to take me on… Shit would hit the fan quicker than I can say "Uno!". And trust me, I can say it very quickly.

Quinn isn't a priority for me compared to the other two, but she's a priority when concerning Anoel, Ly, and Ray.

…

Should I be concerned about her trying to attack Anoel's team? It'd be really bad luck if she got into it with Ezdeil, but I feel like she's smart enough to avoid that. So that only leaves Kitsuki and Arex as two potentials that she might alternately go after if she's desperate enough.

But her main goal is Ray. I haven't exactly a clue as to why, but frankly, I don't care. She's a threat to them, and my job is to eliminate her if I get the chance.

Quinn got very lucky. Either the Midnight Huntsman was in the area and decided to help her out, or he was seeking her out before hand. Either way, I'll need to take into consideration a potential intervention from that man in the future.

Right… Let's see…

I looked to my gps to take in the route, making sure I was going the right way. I've never been to this part of Vale before, so I haven't mentally mapped this area out. Until now that is.

…

Thinking about it now, Shades was kind enough to give me the address. He might've just kidnapped them for all I know, and I might just be walking into a trap. If it is one, well…

He's probably going to sleep forever. As in the sleep of sleeps. Death. Finality.

Etcétera, etcétera.

I noticed the ping on my Holoscroll, glancing to the lavish hotel in front of me a few meters away.

The dot says the location is there.

Wow. This place was really fancy. Lylac lives here? How much does she pay for this damn place? Just looking at it reminds me more of me needing to figure out a suitable source of income.

Damn I'm useless when it comes to these things!

…

Not really though. I just need to find something to my liking and ability.

Anyway, fancy hotel. Must enter.

Or so I thought.

I heard a loud "bang" and felt something tap my head, like a rain droplet on a mildly rainy day. But when I stuck out my hand, I didn't feel any rain. I thought that something crashed nearby, but…

I touched my forehead at last, feeling around until I felt a small, circular object at the center.

A bullet.

Broke through the skin, but stopped right at the skull. Impact was hard enough to crush the bullet, which made it hard to try and pry the chunk of metal out with my fingers.

Damn it, who's the idiot that shot me?

I looked up towards the hotel and looked further up to a balcony high above, spotting my would be murderer. Instead of taking another shot, she ran back inside to the hotel when she noticed I spotted her.

Smart. If I could take the bullet out of my head, I'd have thrown it right back and "sniped" her instead.

If that's one of the team's, then she's a jumpy shooter and not really good at her job.

Honestly, ask before you shoot moron.

I walked on like nothing happened and stepped through the sliding doors of the hotel, noticing the fanciness of the hotel lobby.

If I thought the outside looked nice, then this place was definitely way out of my pay grade.

"Good evening sir, how can I-"

The desk worker greeting me gasped in shock and looked at me with terrified eyes.

…

Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the bullet.

"No need to help me out. I know where I'm going."

She just stood there, confusion and terror stuck on her face as I called the elevator down and waited. A couple stepped out before me, gasping with equal surprise as they rushed past me to get the hell out.

You know, now that I think about it, this is pretty unnatural to see huh? I mean, you don't see many people, if at all, walking around with bullets lodged in their heads. For me though? Just another nuisance to my day that really wasn't worth paying attention to really.

I hummed in tune with the jazzy elevator theme until it came to a stop and the doors opened towards a large floor with a long hallway that lead to a single door.

"You have arrived at your destination." Notified the feminine, mechanical voice of my gps app.

I keep forgetting to turn the voice off…

…

…

Six signatures inside. Two faint, Anoel and Ray. One of the others Lylac, the other possibly the person who shot me.

And the other without mistake was Inuba's.

I've always kind of liked how her Aura Signature shined so brightly...

…

Arex was here too? No, that shouldn't be a surprise. If Anoel was going to be injured, it would only make sense her little sister would be notified and come running. That's kind of dangerous though. If Arex was a potential target, she could've been attacked or killed by someone else on her way here, or worse, captured. Then potentially tortured and then killed.

Anyway, reckless behavior.

Right right, need to go inside, focus on complaints later.

I knocked on the door twice, and waited for a few brief moments, seeing Lylac open the door moments later.

"I see you met Seyda."

"Oh yeah, we had a nice cup of tea before she shot me in the head."

I calmly stated with a hint of bitterness in my tone.

I may not be able to die from crap like that, much less feel the pain from it, but it's still annoying to deal with.

"She's nervous and has a trigger finger, so I wouldn't worry about her doing anything else." Lylac explained.

"Yeah, but if it was someone else, they'd be dead. So, here's me formally lodging a complaint about your trigger-happy co-worker or whatever."

"Save it for Ray. They work for him, not me. But that brings us to the important subject here."

There was a pause after Lylac spoke, with her giving me a very serious look.

"Did you do it?"

…

What do I say? What to tell her? I wounded her only for her to escape? Or do I tell her the whole truth?

…

Gah, I hate lying anyway...

"Like a bolt from the blue, the Midnight Huntsmen showed up and saved her ass before I could finish her with the technique I cooked up. He just… vanished along with her."

A long-winded sigh left Ly's mouth before she responded.

"That… complicates things… You think they're working together?" She asked me.

"Not sure yet. Quinn seemed more surprised than anything when he showed up and retreated with her in tow. They might not have been working together previously, but who's to say they won't be from now on?"

"I am. She's not one to make friends. And if that… thing showed up to rescue her, it could mean that he's been watching what's been going on."

Why show interest in the the Chroma's though? No, I don't think it's as simple as that. It could be his interest was Quinn herself all along. I'm more than certain he'd butter up to her to have her on his side. Those two working together will make them a force to be reckoned with more so than they already are.

"There anything you can tell me about him?"

What was there to say? That he's the most prolific serial killer in this recent era of Remnant's history? That he's almost as dangerous as me?

"I ran into him a few nights ago. He's as tough as Niro described, undoubtedly." I simply told her.

The fact I even had to ask Ezdeil for information still makes me… twitchy… I don't like the guy at all, but if he has something valuable I can use, I don't mind forgetting about the little grudge between us.

Information is always more valuable than a grudge.

"I know he wasn't showing me his whole hand, but if he gets involved, we're gonna have a big problem on our hands considering I don't know how to take him down. Yet."

He's an extremely competent fighter from what I was able to observe. And he was able to keep up with me in terms of base strength and speed, which is always a bit of a red flag warning for me.

I can't treat him like the usual rabble and not pay attention to him and his abilities.

Ly sighed again, audibly inhaling before she spoke.

"Then I'll leave it to you to deal with him. As for Quinn, leave her to Sentinel. All of them have a personal vendetta against that bitch that they're more than happy to execute, Ray more so than any of them."

That's a problem. Vendettas make people too aggressive and less likely to use their brain to take someone down. Case in point, Ray and Anoel. Understandable that they have something against the Devil woman given the historical context of the situation, but they charged in blindly and foolishly, and in the process, got their asses handed to them on a silver platter. Something like a vendetta isn't going to cut it here.

"Hold on a minute, I'm not gonna just leave you to that Devil woman. I'm sorry, but I don't think you'd all manage too well. I mean, I can see Shades being a bit of a problem for her, but that's about it."

Ray and Anoel are low on the list of capable fighters against Quinn. I have serious doubts about the two I met at the docks, Rex and Pyro, and I especially don't think that damn sniper Seyda is any good for this either. Shades, the guy that took Anoel and Ray out of the field, might be something of a problem for here, but he probably doesn't have the firepower to take her out.

Even together I doubt their abilities at this point given what I've seen.

Anyone hearing my thoughts might call me arrogant, but I could care less about their thoughts of me.

Facts are facts. They aren't able to take on Quinn alone even with their combined might. Unless there's some unknown outlier I've yet to see, I'm pretty much the only one capable of killing Quinn at this point. Alone might I add.

"I'm not telling you to do that. If you see her, you're more than welcome to drop her like a sack of shit, but it's very personal to them too, so don't hunt their glory. That's all." Ly told me.

Hunting glory… How stupid… I don't care about glory or anything ridiculous like that. All I care about is getting the job done and that everyone gets to live at the end of the day. Other than that, nothing else really matters.

"I get it, but if they make the same boneheaded move Ray and Anoel did they're going to get killed. Making it personal is what got the two of them in that fine mess. Understandable, but still boneheaded." I firmly told her.

They need to calm the hell down. I don't feel like bringing bodies back because they were being stupid.

I understand everyone else's stance on this. Truly, I do. But there's a difference between throwing yourself at the issue and failing, or approaching this as carefully as possible and succeeding.

"Whether you believe it or not, they're not all that stupid." Lylac said snapping me out of thought, "What you may not understand is that Ray was just as damaged as I was by her, which is why he went after her in the first place. Either way, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that she's not done yet, which is something we all need to be mindful of."

"Trust me, I know that all too well." I told her as I rubbed my forehead, feeling the still lodged bullet in my skull, "And can I get some pliers please? KittyKat's bullet is still lodged in my head, and I can't get it out with my fingers."

Ly sighed for the third time, clear exhaustion seeping into her breath. "Go to the kitchen. There's a toolbox in the cupboard under the sink. If you'll excuse me, I need to tend to Anoel and her sister."

"Which reminds me, I need to talk to Little Bird number 2. And the Tinman. Are they up?"

"You'll have to wait for that, I'm afraid. Arex isn't doing so well right now and Ray's out cold. You may end up waiting until morning."

To be honest, I don't really care right now. But because I'm considerate at least…

"You're welcome to any food or drinks I have, as well as watching the scroll display in the living room if you're bored." Ly paused for a moment, "And when you see Seyda, make sure to tell her to put her weapon down and go to sleep, I think she's had enough friendly fire for one night."

I for one agree.

"I was gonna go set up countermeasures first anyway, so sure, will do."

"Alright, I'll let you know when either Anoel or Ray is available to speak to." The bedroom door handle twitched slightly. "See you in a bit."

* * *

I stepped out onto the large balcony, getting the feline Faunus to turn around quickly to look at me with worried eyes.

She was about the same age as Arex, and had reflective opper eyes and long, silvery-gray hair. She also had a long, white, black-spotted feline tail, built with thick, almost bushy fur and dense muscle.

Was she a leopard Faunus?

…

Okay. She's slightly cute. I'll let her off the hook this time for shooting me.

"Alright KittyKat, shift's done. I'm taking over for the night. Go rest or whatever." I told her nodding over my shoulder back to the inside of the apartment.

"Um… I'm sorry about… you know…"

"It's fine. At least I'm not dead. Just… be careful in the future, yeah? Someone else won't be as lucky as me."

"R-Right… Goodnight…"

I only waved her off as she rushed past me, allowing me time to myself on the balcony as I leaned on the rail, looking up to the shattered moon.

I'm still wondering what did that. I'd try asking Ozpin, but he'd more than likely give me a roundabout answer that won't really be an answer. He might even tell me some damned deity from the stars did it.

…

If that's the case…

…

Six months, and I'm still pissed off about it all. The entire thing was just… ludicrous. Who would think doing the right thing is wrong by someone else's standards? The whole thing… Leaving it as it was would've been a true injustice of that whole mess. And yet what I did deserved execution thousands of times over.

But since they couldn't kill me, they exiled me instead. Sentenced to just… drift endlessly in the Void. All because me doing the right thing was just so "terribly" wrong.

…

At the very least, some good came out of it. People are alive. My partner didn't leave me to just drift endlessly all alone and brought me here. I met siblings I didn't even know I had.

And I've just started some strange new venture in a strange new place I've yet to fully acclimate to.

…

For once, I don't have to really hide myself, or be weary of someone else knowing me. Things like that haven't brought heavy consequences like they used to.

…

Not yet at least.

Making new friends here hasn't been easy. Not really. We're getting along fine with LMKN, RWBY, and JNPR, but ELAA…

They're going to be a pain to deal with. Arex and Kitsuki not so much really. Anoel will be a bit of a struggle, but I know her kind all too well.

It's Ezdeil that's going to be my biggest problem. I'm not sure he's actually a human. And it's intimidating to think I'm the only one that can feel that overwhelming presence of his when he's nearby.

Power aside, his personality is… difficult. He's brash, very abrasive, and very aggressive. Truth be told, I wouldn't be surprised if he'd want to deck me for the fun of it, but… He has some moral standards at the very least. Still…

Is he a potential ally? Or my enemy, now and in the future?

I just don't know right now…

Then there's the other thing about him that bothers me.

How come I feel like I know him? Or at the very least recognize him? I've never met Ezdeil in my life before now. So why do I have a sense of familiarity?

It's like Primordial all over again! Lots of problems building up quickly, and not a lot of solutions to clear up the load.

"Troubling yourself again, Master?"

My head spun around, seeing Inuba peeking through the sliding door of the balcony.

"Oh, you know me, I'm a literal trouble magnet."

"Nonsense. It's just… How do people usually put it… A case of wrong place at the wrong time?"

If that were genuinely the case, then I have extremely bad luck. But considering some of my situations and exploits in the past, luck is on my side.

"Good try partner. But still a wrong answer."

She let out a sigh with her usual smile, slipping past the door and closing it behind her as she joined my side, leaning on the rail as we both looked out to the night sky and the moon above.

"It has its own appeal to beauty, doesn't it? The moon I mean…" Inuba said.

I glanced over to her, and kept my eyes on her for the longest of times.

"Beautiful indeed…" I softly said.

What I thought was a turn of her head was only her white fox ears flicking briefly. In any case, I looked the other way, hoping she didn't notice me staring at her.

I couldn't help it. I was drawn to her for a brief moment. What was the saying? Like a moth to the flame? Though in my case, it'd be like a devil to the light.

…

I don't know what to think anymore…

"How are they?" I asked, brushing off the thoughts I was having, "Anoel and Ray?"

"Well, they'll make a full recovery soon with the treatments I gave them. A few days of rest, and they'll be fine."

"That's good…"

"I… did find something strange though."

"Strange?" I asked.

"You notified me that mr. Chroma was… a cybernetic human, but that's not what I found that was strange."

Inuba reaches into her skirt pocket, and pulled her hand out, moving it in front of me as her fingers opened up. A large black shard rested in her palm as my fingers took up the smooth, crystalline shard, my eyes carefully studying it.

It looked like a piece of a Dust crystal… Except, it wasn't. I couldn't feel any element in it. It was… null.

"I didn't have the time to properly analyze it with my abilities. Rather, I couldn't do a thorough scan of it."

"Was it resisting your scan?" I asked glancing back at Inuba.

"It would seem so. Considering I found a large bulk of these shards in mr. Chroma's body, I'm inclined to believe it was used as a weapon against him. Not only that, but there was an oddity I spotted."

"What kind of oddity?"

Inuba reached for my finger and took the shard in her hand, "His Aura was healing his body further away from the impact radius of where the shards were."

Watching her, a small burst of white Aura flowed from the fingertip of her other hand, and when the stream touched the shard, it split apart and moved around the sliver of stone.

"It's Aura resistant…"

"It resists Aura, yes, but it'd be more accurate to say that this shard, and the others like it that I pulled from mr. Chroma's body nullify Aura."

"Aura Nullification… His Aura didn't protect him from it?"

"No. From the looks of it, it penetrated straight through his Aura to damage his body directly."

Interesting… So there are materials here on Remnant that nullify Aura…

On Primordial, we used what was called Soul Energy. But as my studies concluded, Soul Energy is a more restricted form of our power, an inhibitor of sorts as to our actual usage of our powers. And, as my studies concluded, me and my allies broke those limiters to become stronger. At the time, I didn't know what our newfound source of power was, but since coming here to Remnant, I do now.

What we had was a partial unlocking of our Auras, not a full unlocking. That partial unhitching is what's known as Soul Energy, part of the the full product, but not the whole package deal. Aura is the full unlocking of one's power so that it can actually grow and become one's true power.

I lost all of my power before I came here, but I got new abilities instead. That must mean my true power's been locked away the entire time until now. Now, in Inuba's case, she told me her Soul Energy did something… strange when we got here.

It was undergoing a conversion process.

While we did remove our limiters, we were still "crippled" by the current source of energy we drew on for our powers. In a sense… maybe the conversion process happened then and was moving extremely slow, and until we got to Remnant, it speed up rapidly to do a full conversion to Aura.

Thinking about it now, Inuba's actually gotten a lot stronger since coming here. Her powers are more… refined and pure. Same for her mother.

Now, going back to my previous statements, there was no material that could nullify Soul Energy or Aura; that was only in the case of people who had specific abilities to cancel it out.

But here, in my hand, something like it in the form of a material…

"This is dangerous…"

"Agreed." Inuba said handing back the shard, "Shall we dispose of it?"

"No. I'm going to take this back with us and study it. If I'm lucky, I'll discover a way to create a countermeasure so it won't affect us, or our allies."

Among other things I had in mind for it…

"I'd destroy it afterwards, but I have a feeling that won't help."

"How come?"

"Think about it." I said looking to my partner, "Quinn shot him with bullets made of this. I have a feeling it isn't a resource exclusive to her, but it's something rare that can be acquired. No doubt some of it in the Atlas Military's hands, but probably others also have it too on the black market somewhere."

"I see… Then that shard alone would suffice to conduct your experiments?"

"It should since it still works. If not, then I'll figure out a way to get a bigger piece." I said tossing up the shard.

Both of us fell silent for a moment, until Inuba asked me the next question.

"Master… This Quinn person… Is she as dangerous as Ms. Chroma made her out to be?"

"She's dangerous, yeah, but not to us. She's only after Ray as far as we know, but her target list might get extended if she gets impatient. As far as fighting her goes, you and me have nothing to worry about. I've already found out her weakness."

"You have?"

"Yeah. I'll go over it with you on our way back. But for now, we wait with open eyes and ears. I know you don't like Ray all too much, and frankly for good reason since he's an ass, but-"

"I… won't let my personal conflict with him interfere. If I must, I'll do my best to aid him. And may occasionally look the other way."

I chuckled at my partner's slightly aggressive tone. It wasn't always that I got to see her puff up her cheeks and scowl, but every time she did it, it was always a sight to see.

And somewhat cute…

Ironically, she's always cute.

"Don't leave him out to dry if he's in trouble. Get your revenge by helping him out without complaining."

"Understood…"

I gave her a slight chuckle and head pat as we stared out at the moon once again.

"I kind of like the moon this way."

"It certainly is something to see… But I also think it's quite beautiful in its own way."

"You think I'd get into trouble if I broke the moon back on Primordial to make it look the same?"

"Master..!" She silently whispered while smacking me in the arm.

"Kidding! Not really, but…"

Another smack to the arm made me stand up straight as I winced slightly with a smile.

"Seriously though, enough with the Master thing already. Just call me by my normal name already."

"I can't do that, Master. Were still bound together in a pact, with me acting as your familiar, remember? It's the proper way to address you, who in the case of our pact, is the Master." She said with a rather coy smile.

…

She has me there.

"Still, can't you call me anything else?"

"Should I call you Senpai from now on instead?" She asked with a bigger smile.

…

My heart wouldn't be able to handle that…

"N-No idea…. But still, if we're re in public and someone hears you, or you accidentally let it slip when talking to others, it'd look bad you know? They'd think that I own you like a slave. Or… you know… more misleading matters…"

"Other matters..?"

It took her a few moments to register it before she let out a panicked voice and turned bright red.

"I-I understand your point… B-But… changing the arrangement as is won't do." My partner stated as her fox tail whipped around.

Seriously? Can't you cut me some slack?

"F-Fine then. If that's what you want…"

I looked behind us, remembering we had another issue to solve before anything else. Maybe it was the other way around and I needed to figure this shard out to beat Quinn. Or the Midnight Huntsman for that matter.

"Not that I'm anywhere near as medically qualified as you are, but you should check up on them and see how they're doing."

"It's been some time since I did a genuine check up on them… I suppose I'll go do that and monitor them for the night. You should rest as well." My partner said as she headed towards the door.

"Sleep is for the weak." I jokingly stated, "But in all seriousness, I'm not tired. So I'll keep guard for now."

"Very well then. Have a pleasant night, Master."

I waved to her goodbye as I remained on the balcony, playing with my new shard and moving it between my fingers.

"What secrets will I learn from you?" I whispered to it.

Given my experience with "gems with special properties", I half expected the thing to whisper back at me. I even waited for a few seconds just make sure.

But could I? Could I even figure this thing out? There's still a lot I don't know yet. I don't use Dust, so I'm virtually in the the dark. I'll need a consultant before I even think about experimenting.

…

Hmmm… If I can get Weiss Schnee's help, that would certainly speed up the process tremendously, and allow me to go about my study of Aura Nullification unhindered. That's if she even agrees to help me. But I think this shard alone might suffice as a suitable motivational tool to get her to work with me.

Problem is that she's a little uptight. I don't think she'll comprise her position with the SDC just to get results on a potentially beneficial joint venture, so I might have to do behind the scenes work on my own.

Regardless, I may very well need Weiss' help to make significant progress. So...I'll need to plan around for that. But for now, the Midnight Huntsmen and Quinn are my biggest priority. And making sure neither kills Ray or Anoel. Or even both of them.

First though, the lecture of a lifetime.

* * *

Despite my usual Buddha-like nature, I was still pretty miffed about what these two idiots did.

And I was going to make sure they knew that.

"Un. Be. Lievable. This has by far been the most boneheaded, irresponsible thing I've ever witnessed in my life. Excluding my counts of occasional stupidity within recent years."

A rare few in my history, but hey, even I flub things sometimes.

Anoel stood with her arms crossed as she leaned against the couch's back frame, choosing to stand on her battered legs rather than sit down.

Look at you high and mighty trying to make sure I'm not looking down on you.

…

I'm not, but, that's beside the point.

And Ray? Ray didn't look all too bothered. He just sat at the breakfast bar. Calmly eating cereal. Like nothing happened. At all.

Idiot.

"You, I expected this from if you knew what was going on, to which I still would have said 'utterly stupid move'," I continued, pointing to Ray. "But you? Come on. You're supposed to be the smarter one here."

My gaze fell on Anoel, but all she did was roll her eyes at me.

Oof, I love it when they roll their eyes at me, like they think they know better.

"I think you have that backwards..." she muttered back to me, glancing to Ray by his cereal bowl. "He's the smart one. I'm the emotional one, thank you very much."

Haha, funny, very funny.

Not funny.

"No, I don't have it backwards. I have it pretty much right considering I'd expect something this stupid from Ray, not you."

"And what makes you think you know me?" Anoel cut back harshly, snapping her gaze back to me. "At what point did you ever decide that you can take one look at me and read me like an open book?"

The moment I decided I can and I would. And trust me, you are very much easier to read than most people.

"Let me tell you something Littler Bird." I started as I pushed myself off the wall I leaned on, "I've worked with your type dozens of times before in all sorts of situations. I know how your type thinks and operates. And, I know for a fact when they do stupid things like this, they're the first to die unless a miracle swoops in from the outer confines of the universe. Which thankfully in your case, it did this time."

"You still think you know me… It just comes down to classifications for you, doesn't it? Little folders you store your precious little associates in to classify all their predictable decision making. Not everyone falls into your little sorter so perfectly."

I let out a brief laugh loud enough for her to hear me, "You think so huh? You're more naive than I thought. True, it's not entirely perfect. But if you could actually know what I was thinking, you'd know I don't believe in perfection. And you'd certainly know my predictions of outcomes are very much spot on."

I know a losing battle when I see one. Thankfully, that's a very rare occurrence. But this was starting to be one of those rare exceptions given these two idiots can't even admit their mistakes.

"If they were so spot on then why weren't you there?" Ano asked with a huff, biting through the pain as she tightened her crossed arms over her chest. "And I don't need to know what you're thinking to know what you're planning. It's engraved in every tiny little action you do."

Is it now? Would you like to see how unpredictable I can actually be? I haven't had a fun challenge in a long time.

"Neither of you should have been there." Ray finally spoke from his seat at the

breakfast bar, spoon dropping into his bowl as his gaze bore into the splashing milk, "Quinn isn't either of your problems, so your desires to get even with her are completely void of any logical reasoning."

"That wasn't me trying to get even with her." Ano growled, her clear irritation dangling by a very thinly drawn thread as she switched her gaze to Ray. "That was me taking four mental years of pain and trying to drive it like a stake back into her desolate heart."

Yes, but like the usual, hopeful vampire hunter expecting to stake their first bloodsucker, that didn't end up going according to plan.

"Still doesn't make it your problem, Anoel…" Ray muttered in reply, still focused on his bowl of cereal. "Hell… She isn't even Ly's problem anymore, either."

"It doesn't matter who's problem she is now," I said looking between the two of them, "The fact is that she is a problem that needs to be dealt with using an actual, thought out plan. Not some half-cocked scheme a twelve-year-old makes on the spur of the moment."

Which given Ray's tendencies, is very spot on.

"Funny. That's what happened the first time I got rid of her." Ray replied evenly.

"If you call that 'getting rid of her', you really are stupid. Whatever hocked up shit plan you made back then clearly didn't work, because she was still standing there and nearly murdered the two of you with minimal effort."

Literally, she didn't even try with these two morons.

Ray slammed his spoon down against the surface of the bar before pushing himself to his feet. A harsh crash striking the ground as his stool toppled over, Ray moving to stand eye-to-eye with me.

Heh, he thinks I'm actually scared of him. How adorable.

"Really? You think I didn't fucking notice that?" he spat, violet eyes faintly glowing. "I didn't exactly have the best tools and equipment as an enslaved twelve-year-old back then, Dante. So why don't you shut your fucking mouth and cut me some slack. Or is that too hard for you and your holier-than-thou demeanor?"

"Sit down before you hurt yourself, Tinman." I warned him, "And listen to what others have to say for once. Or is that too hard for you big head?"

"Before I hurt myself? What the fuck are you going to do exactly? Stab me?" Ray angrily gestured to the patch on his bare chest, the one covering the hole through his body.

I'm tempted to. Very tempted. But regardless of the inner murder stirring within me, I held myself back.

"Me? Oho, I'm just gonna stand here, watching you pathetically flail your arms at me to no effect, and also watch you break your own wrists of your own accord. So think very carefully before you try to take a swing at me."

If he was going to take a swing at me, he was going to have T-Rex arms by the end of this.

"I didn't wake up to be antagonized by an arrogant piece of shit. So don't come here and start."

"And I didn't walk into a blatantly obvious trap and nearly get myself killed. Nor did I agree to help kill someone without thinking very carefully how to do so. So, sit down and shut it."

"Think?" Ray snapped, fury burning in his harsh, amethyst eyes. "We didn't exactly have time to think, you fucking moron! You think she'd give us that luxury?! How brain dead do you think she is?! If we didn't go, it was her life on the line!"

His finger pointed to Lylac standing outside on the balcony, peacefully enjoying her company with Arex.

"And I'm not saying you shouldn't have gone! Now for the last time, sit down and listen!"

Ray turned around aggressively, walking straight toward the balcony. "Nothing you have to say is going to rectify this situation. Nothing. Neither of you has a fucking clue who you're dealing with and I refuse to wait around for her to get away again."

Mmmm, technically I have a far better idea than you do at this point. Sure, you'd rather be an arrogant idiot and believe no one could possibly have a better idea than you because everyone else is a bunch of idiots, but...

"You're right. Nobody has a clue what we're dealing with," Ano muttered dryly, Ray's steps drilling to a stop as his hand fell to the balcony's door. "Not even you…"

"I know that she's after me... Not Ly. Not you," Ray turned to look over his shoulder, glaring at Dante behind glowing eyes. "And you don't even have the right to be here."

Actually I do considering your cousin asked me to actually, physically, realistically kill that Devil woman, so… Wrong again Ray. You're certainly proving to be a bigger idiot than I originally had you pegged for.

"And that's the problem," Anoel said, leaning away from the couch to face him. "Do you have any idea what it would do to Ly if you died? Or fell back into Quinn's hands?"

"Yeah…" Ray darkly chortled as he muttered the affirmation under his breath. "I know exactly what it would do. But it's better me than her."

Wow, he's going with that route?

"It's better nobody sacrificed themselves than somebody. But none of us should give her any more reason to kill anybody than we already have." Ano replied.

"That I agree with," Dante cut back in. "But honestly, answer this for me, no sarcasm or anything involved here. How difficult would it have been to send word for backup? One word, three letters. SOS. And I would have gotten to you very, very, very quickly."

"You haven't figured it out by now…?" Anoel's voice fell in volume and tone as she dropped her arms to her sides. "This. Isn't. Your. Fight."

"You asked for my help. And with what little you managed to whisk away from my head, you of all people should have known people and things like that Devil woman are my area of expertise." I retaliated. "You asked for my help. And I would have unquestionably given it at any moment's time."

"Yes, I asked for your help. But what kind of solace would that bring if you came in and dealt with her just like all the other little side projects of yours you like to take up? All for the sake of the people she hurt? There's no point in taking that away from them. Sure, you can help, but you never get it through your head what exactly you should be helping with instead of what you think you need to do to take something over."

…

This isn't about taking charge. I hate doing that more than anything. This is about keeping the two of you alive, and at least moderately happy for as much as your miserable lives can allow.

"I'm shocked. Honestly, I am. I thought you above anyone else would know that sometimes you have to become a monster to deal with things that are far worse than yourself. That 'devil' woman you want to deal with so badly? She's no different."

The real difference here is that one of us can actually become a monster. You? You're only a flaming bird.

"This isn't about me trying to take over your deal. This is about two things, Anoel. The first, you have a resource, free of charge basically, that has worked in this area countless times before and is very good at the job. Use it." I said raising a hand, "And the second, this is about preventing a catastrophe. I get this is personal, for both of you. But it's no excuse to throw yourselves aimlessly at the dark and expect to come out alive."

"That wasn't aimless." Ano muttered under her breath. "And I wasn't expecting to."

…

It was as aimless as could be.

But I'll play her little game.

"The reason wasn't aimless, I'll respect that much. But the method… Did you think for a second even what that might've done to your friend? Your sister? Nosferatu even? What if Shades and I never showed up at all?"

Ano's gaze turned dull as she dropped her head to the side, letting the corner of her eyes peer down at the floor beside me and the boneheaded Tinman.

"I did… For far longer than a second. I'm thankful the two of you actually showed up. Don't get me wrong there. But I can't stand by and let you solve the personal problem that's been a plague to Ly and Ray's wellbeing."

"I'm not asking you to hand this over to do it personally or anything like that. I'm asking you take me with you next time so I can make sure you come home afterward. Alive mind you and very much intact." I argued.

"Then try to understand the gravity of the situation before you lecture us for doing our job…" Ray quietly muttered to himself, staring at his clenched fists. "You claim a lot for someone who has nothing to show for it, Dante."

I claim a lot because I'm capable of backing my word. And having something to show for it mind you.

"I understand perfectly. I just don't want a repeat of this event anytime soon with worse results."

"You don't though. All you've been told is that we want her dead, but you don't know exactly why we want it that way," Ray replied evenly. "She's not your typical, run-of-the-mill villain."

Gee, it's like I didn't know that when I was fighting her!

Ano brought her gaze away again as she let it level softly on the conversation Ly and Arex were sharing just outside. "She's a person."

"Your case isn't the first I've seen. Nor the last unfortunately. But that's exactly why I'm frustrated with what happened to you guys, and specifically with you two. So please, let me actually help next time rather than just being willy-nilly about it."

"If this case, these exact circumstances, are something you're familiar with, then you'd do better to show some goddamn consideration before lecturing me over the one thing I know how to do." Ray replied, turning to face me directly. "They may have asked for your help, but I didn't. And as far as I'm concerned, I don't want it anyway. I don't know you, and you don't know me. So how am I expected to trust you with less than three interactions?"

He paused, taking a moment to walk over to the breakfast bar.

"You keep speaking like this was a complete and total failure, but it wasn't. And I'll tell you why, right now."

He picked up his empty bowl and spoon before carrying them over to the sink and placing them inside, quickly washing them as he lifted his gaze to Anoel and I.

"The Quinn you saw last night isn't the same Quinn I knew. She's behaving carefully. And that's a big fucking change for her. The Dust she used on me was a prime example of that."

"She wasn't just behaving carefully." Anoel replied softly. "She was desperate."

Desperate… I definitely got that feeling from her when I was fighting.

"Desperate how?" I asked.

"Like if she doesn't act now…" Anoel muttered back, "she'll lose something forever."

"And she needs me to find it. Which begs the question…" Ray added.

"What is she after exactly...?" I said, raising a hand to my chin. "How desperate was she when fighting you two?"

"She was fighting dirty, not methodically like she usually would. And where she would be playful and taunting, everything she said was spoken with an air of purpose," Ray listed evenly. "The fact that she's desperate for my help means she doesn't have a lot of time to find what she's looking for. It's making me question if we have to kill her…"

"We don't." Anoel answered for him, voice dead in the fading wind.

…

There's only one reason why anyone would be that desperate and fight like she did.

"Shit… I think I understand what she's after. And you may be right, we might not exactly have to kill her."

"Now you know that you don't understand it perfectly. Fortunately for us, you're not a complete idiot." Ray said back.

Fortunately for you, I'm restraining the urge to punch one of your pressure points and put you to sleep.

"I was talking about your motives before. I didn't necessarily think about hers given she was slapping you about like a wet fish." I answered, "Either way… She wouldn't fight that hard unless it was something very important. More important than any physical object or-"

"It's a person." Anoel cut me off, drifting her gaze away from the two on the balcony to her feet. "She's after a loved one."

"I was gonna say that, but thank you for pulling the rug out from under my feet." I said, briefly raising up his arms.

I could feel the Tinman's curiosity surging a bit.

"So she spent a year and a half torturing us because she was after someone she cared about?" Ray asked incredulously.

"I'm not saying what she did was right." Ano clarified, her grip on the door starting to loosen. "I'm saying she had a reason behind it all. I still can't forgive what she's done, but we have a way to turn her away from the two of you for good."

Ray's voice grew quiet. "I think I can speak for the both of us when I say we just want her gone."

"That's good and all, but I don't think simply saying 'we know' is gonna get her off their backs. If she believes Ray is her best bet at finding this important person, she'll keep persisting unless she has a different resource available. And unless you have one…"

"Then I'll find whoever she's looking for…" Ray replied to me, "And let bygones be bygones."

"I need to start digging around then." Ano tacked on firmly, turning a glance back to Ray to let him know she wasn't letting this go. "I'll find whatever relations she's had and what her past was like. Not everything can be erased."

He nodded in response. "Once you find them, if you find them, I'll do the rest."

Ray turned to me soon after.

"In the meantime, you promise to keep us alive?"

I'm debating keeping you alive, and I'm slightly the same in regard to Anoel.

But then I remembered Niro Ezdeil exists, and if he knew I was supposed to help his partner and failed, well…

Killing him wouldn't be any fun...

"Do you really need to ask me that? Of course. I'll keep her and anyone else off your backs."

"Good. Then it's settled. We find this missing person, then bring them to her. And hopefully, she'll fuck off for good." Ray said as he walked away.

If only it were that easy Tinman…

"Well, since I'm not needed or wanted here, I'll be going back. I've got other things to do while making sure your asses don't become dead and buried."

I saw her trying to say something, but I was already gone when I snapped my fingers. I quickly appeared in the garage I was allowed to keep my car, Primarius, in, and leaned on the tool table, letting out a deep sigh.

I may have never mentioned this before, but I really hate working with idiots sometimes.

* * *

 **So yeah, KoWaB will be on hiatus for now until I get VotA all caught up. I don't have anything else to say, so with that...**

 **I highly recommend you all** **go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story.**

 **Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.**

 **Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.**

 ** **Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it.** With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!**

 **Bye-bye now!**


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